Gentle touches
by LouLouCullen
Summary: The Cullen boys come across a strange girl when out hunting. What will they do with her? What happened to put her in that condition? With the help of our heroes, will Bella be able to regain herself? But something is different she's not quite human... Adopted from Animal8. Please Review! Reviews are like a sugar high to me...so keep the sugar/Reviews coming!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story **GENTLE TOUCHES** is the very same as author **ANIMAL8. **As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that **ANIMAL8 **had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to **ANIMAL8** page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as **ANIMAL8** and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of **GENTLE TOUCHES**.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

**Gentle Touches**

Chapter 1 – Little Girl Lost (EPOV)

The blood ran hot down my throat, the sweet substance not completely satiating the burning of the flesh there, but quenching it to bearable levels. Slowly, as the creature became lifeless, the flow of life fluid stemmed and came to a stop.

I sighed and released the now still and stiff carcass of the deer, turning to find my brothers waiting in the shadows of the nearby trees.

"Are you finished?" Jasper asked; one eyebrow rose in question. I nodded and prepared to run with them back to the house.

Normally, we would avoid any frequented human campsites, but something seemed to be drawing me away from the others, begging me to investigate. I came to a stop and sniffed tentatively at the air.

Emmett ran back to my side, eyeing me cautiously. _Dude, what's up?_ He thought to me. I responded with a shrug, distracted as the breeze changed direction, carrying a recent scent of…something.

"What is that?" Emmett frowned, tensing slightly.

"I don't know," I murmured back to him as I bolted towards the source, keeping the scent in my nose at all times. _Edward, what's going on?_ Jasper was demanding as he followed me some way behind.

An old, abandoned cabin lay ahead. The wood was clearly rotting and the roof of the shelter had partially collapsed. My feet stilled as I took in the detail and waited for my brothers to catch up.

Jasper was the first to reach my side, tense and alert, scanning the area with both eyes and nose. "The scent must be coming from inside," he noted. I nodded, but made no move to approach.

"So, what are we doing standing here?" Emmett asked, his thoughts showing his eagerness to investigate whatever this was. He led the way over to the cabin, me and Jasper following after exchanging a shrug.

Inside, the state of the cabin was no better. The floors were filthy and the place smelled strongly of damp and mildew; not ideal conditions for anyone to be living in. "Whoa, this place is a mess," Emmett stated bluntly.

"Nicely observed, Emmett," Jasper said dryly. He was heading to one of the doors and started poking around in the room there, Emmett and I mimicked his actions with the other doors. "What brought you here, Edward?" Jasper asked, "This place is empty".

"I'm not so sure about that," Emmett whispered before I could have a chance to answer his question. We both looked over to him and he waved his arm as if sensing our hesitation.

He stepped out of the doorway to allow us to peer in and we simultaneously let out a breath at what we saw. Curled into the far corner of the room, on her side with her arms and legs bundled together tightly, eyes shut, was a young girl. I couldn't guess her age because of the state she was in, but I would say she was no older than seventeen or eighteen.

She was obviously in a poor way, from here with my enhanced eyesight I could see her ribs standing out despite the loose clothing that hung to her frame and she looked very weak. "What do we do with her?" Emmett asked in a whisper.

"We can't leave her here," I said firmly, not moving my gaze from the innocent, helpless form that was now shuddering further into the corner.

Neither of them argued, but Jasper added, "What do we do then?"

I knew she needed help and that we should probably take her to the hospital, but I didn't feel that was the right thing to do; to just take her away only to dump her in some other foreign place. "We take her to Carlisle," I said decisively.

"You'll have to carry her," Jasper said, thinking about the risk of having her blood so close to them, knowing I had the best restraint. "Careful though, she's very afraid, I think she's aware that we're here".

I took note of his warning, also seeing that despite what she knew she had made no move to get away from us. Cautiously, I took a step forward. When the girl didn't react I moved again until I was crouched next to her. This movement, however, caused her to cringe away and her trembling increased as she tried to force herself deeper into the corner, though she still refused to open her eyes.

Long dark brown hair, only slightly dirty, partially hid her features so I couldn't get a clear look at her. I reached my hand out to lightly brush it back from her face, she jerked away from the contact and I gasped in surprise at how beautiful she was, despite how hollow her face looked.

As if it had a mind of its own, my hand reached out to her again and softly brushed against her cheek. She pulled away again, emitting a sharp growl which startled all of us. "She's wild, that one," Emmett chuckled, amused at the girl's behaviour.

I twisted to glare at him and when I turned back to the girl, I was shocked to find that she was staring back at me warily, her deep brown eyes conveying her emotions of fear and caution and a small crease forming between her brows. "It's okay," I soothed quietly; "We don't want to hurt you". When I tried to take her forearm she pulled it away, tucking it out of reach behind her legs and glared at me.

I stretched my hand out again and placed it gently on her upper arm this time. She flinched and whimpered, her eyes boring into mine pleadingly. I wished I knew what she wanted, but at the same time I was determined to try and help her.

Slowly, I edged closer to her, keeping my hand steady on her, her growling came again, more frantically than last time and at the same time more desperate. I gathered that she really didn't want me anywhere near her, but she was too weak to do anything about it.

When I was practically hovering over her I extended my other arm and gently slid it under her slender form so I could pull her into my arms. She tensed visibly at this new contact and I waited for her to relax before picking her up carefully.

She let out a whimpering growl at the change in position and started to squirm, trying to find a weakness in my grip where there was none. Her thrashing didn't last long until she collapsed exhausted in my arms.

I stayed still, watching her, but her eyes were clenched shut once more and her whole body held tense. Holding her, I could feel how light she was and I worried about how underfed she had been. Leaving her weight in my elbows, I lifted my hand to tenderly touch one of her fisted hands, moving to her cheek when she snatched that away from me.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I whispered to her, unknowing if she could even understand what I was telling her, just needing to try something to pass across that message. She hesitantly opened her eyes and stared up at me with a piercing, yet still fearful expression, holding my gaze as if she was searching for something.

She must have found it because with a soft sigh she closed her eyes and turned her head marginally into me. I took this for consent or at the least her relenting, and carried her smoothly out of the dilapidated cabin. The light must have startled her as we walked into the daylight because she jerked violently in my arms again and I had to tighten my hold so as not to drop her.

"Dude, how long was she in there?" Emmett wondered aloud at her reaction.

It was a good question, one that I would have considered had I not been too preoccupied by the angel in my arms. "Her smell hadn't fully permeated the place, so I don't think she could have been there long," Jasper broke through my musing, "A few days at most".

"She's in a lot worse condition than spending a few days out here," Emmett stupidly pointed out.

Jasper rolled his eyes. "I said she's only been _here_ a few days," he stressed, "God knows where she was before that".

A strangled noise from the bundle I held alerted Jasper to her growing distress. _We should move, I don't know how much longer it will be safe to keep her like that,_ Jasper thought, seeing her trying to wriggle away again.

I nodded and started running back having to use vampire speed if we hoped to get back before sun down. We weren't using full speed, but she still yelped as we dashed into the woods. I grimaced at the sound and then had to wonder how she knew we were moving like that when she hadn't opened her eyes again.

_Careful, Edward, she's not going to like the sight of the house,_ Alice thought to me as soon as I came into range of her. Sure enough when we slowed in front of the house, the angel opened her eyes and immediately balked at the sight of the white building in front of us.

My fingers brushed her cheek as I murmured quietly, "Its okay, this is my home; we're going to look after you". I don't know if she knew what I meant but she stopped struggling though she was tenser than ever.

Inside the house, I heard Carlisle waiting for us, having been alerted by Alice, and Rosalie, who was seething at me in her mind, waiting with Esme and Alice elsewhere in the house.

"Edward," Carlisle greeted me when I entered and he approached slowly, unthreateningly. His efforts were wasted though for the girl was no more comfortable with him than she was with me, flinching away from his touch and hissing quietly when he made a grab for her wrist.

_Follow me up to the medical room,_ he thought. The medical room was something Carlisle had decided to have set up in case there were any incidents with humans; he liked to take his work home with him. In this case, it was probably very useful to actually have it.

The angel had started shivering heavily during this trip. It was making it difficult for me to be the one to inflict this on her, when she was clearly in no state to be capable of dealing with it. "Just put her here," Carlisle said softly, indicating the hospital bed he had acquired.

As soon as she was out of my arms, she curled herself into as tight a ball as she could get and she was trembling frantically, hiding her face with her eyes closed. It was a pitiful sight, really, to see this vulnerable girl reduced to this. I used my hand to comfortingly stroke her exposed cheek and she flinched at the initial contact but otherwise remained still. I was pleased to see that some of her shaking subsided.

Carlisle was already making notes on her behaviour and watching me interact with her. "Has she spoken at all?" he asked. I shook my head, no. "I'm going to need to look at her. Do you think you could hold her still?"

My father gently held her shoulder with one hand, to which she cringed away from, her shivering increasing, and used his other to turn her onto her back. She struggled when she realised what he was doing, arching her back up against him and I came to help him by holding down her shoulders. Her eyes screamed her betrayal when she looked at me and I winced at it.

He began to give a cursory examination and I was relieved to see in his mind that there were only a few minor lacerations and some older bruising. That relief swiftly morphed into horror when I saw him spot her injured wrists, the long sleeves that had covered them were now pulled up. At first I thought that explained her reluctance to let anyone touch them, but then I saw what had caused them.

_She's been bound,_ Carlisle thought in horror and disgust. The angel's writhing had been reduced into her lying still, breathing rapid, ragged breaths and staring blankly at the ceiling. It concerned me how quickly she had given up her fight; further evidence of her poor physical state.

She surprised me again, though, when my father lifted her arm to inspect the damage and she suddenly exploded into ferocious thrashing. "Shh," I hushed, "Shh, Angel, you're okay; we're not here to hurt you". Carlisle had kept hold of her arm and she wouldn't settle at my soothing.

"I need to bandage these, Edward," he said, "Can you keep her as still as you can while I do it?" I hesitated, looking down at her tortured face, her eyes screwed shut as she twisted and turned. "I know it hurts, son, but it needs to be done, sooner rather than later".

I nodded haltingly, letting go of her shoulders. He left to get the supplies ready and the instant he released her, she recoiled her hand and rolled on her side to return to her ball around her arms, trembling like an avalanche.

Feeling awful for what would be a trauma to her, I trailed my fingertips down her spine, tracing the ridges that were visible there. She flinched, but I expected that and didn't halt my actions. There were tears in her eyes when she opened them to stare at me helplessly and her shaking hadn't eased any by the time Carlisle returned.

She looked up when he drew near but immediately curled tighter, turning her face away into the pillow beneath her. I had a feeling that grabbing her wrist like that crossed some line with her, because she didn't do this to me and I had heeded her warnings about her arms and had carefully avoided coming into contact with them once I got the hint.

"She really doesn't like her wrists being touched," I warned him.

He nodded sadly and met my eye. _I have a feeling it's because of her always being restrained,_ he thought, _she would always associate the two actions of taking her arms and being bound._ I sighed harshly and the noise made her jump again, her trembling faltering.

"It's okay," I whispered again, repeating the same thing I had been telling her. My fingers came over her shoulders causing her to shudder, and I lightly dragged the backs of them across her cheek.

_Edward._ I raised my head to look at him and nodded when I saw he was prepared. "I'm sorry, Angel," I murmured. Her eyes flashed with alarm as I took careful hold of her, manoeuvring her back onto her back. She growled harshly as Carlisle reached for her arm, but she wasn't strong enough to prevent him, even if she had had her full strength.

It was worse when he started applying ointment onto the sensitive skin, making her yelp and twitch which, upon her finding her movement restricted, ended up with her having her head half buried in the pillow and whimpering softly. He wrapped it tightly afterwards with a clean white bandage and relinquished his hold.

This was repeated with her other side and after she was so drained that she simply lay there limply, while he inspected her feet that I had failed to previously notice were actually bare. Some sores were present there, which he treated by dabbing with some antiseptic, but left them uncovered.

"Put her in your bedroom, Edward," Alice spoke quietly through the door, "She'll be more comfortable there".

"Come on, Angel," I said softly. She barely flinched when I scooped her up, but I saw her open her eyes to give me a distrustful look that was bled with her exhaustion. My heart clenched at the sight.

Her eyes had closed again by the time we reached my room and she was still trembling softly. I lay her gently on the bed, having drawn back the covers, and she curled into herself again as I pulled the comforter up to cover her with.

I sat down next to her, perched on the side of the bed. She jumped as it dipped beneath her and started growling again when I tried to reach out to her. Her eyes were open again and she was plainly glaring at me.

My heart ached as I came to the conclusion that whatever trust I had gained with her was now lost despite the limited time I had known her. She understandingly wouldn't trust me after I had, in her mind, betrayed her like that even though I was only trying to help.

"Leave her alone for tonight, Edward," Alice called softly from the doorway again. I wanted to refuse so I could stay with this fragile girl but she was insistent. "She won't sleep with you in there," she argued.

I sighed. It wasn't surprising that she didn't trust me so much anymore; in her mind, I had restrained her against her will and allowed pain to be inflicted upon her. I doubted that she understood that we had just been trying to help her.

Silently, I got up and walked to the door, glancing back one last time to see her closely following my every move. I slipped out and quietly closed the door behind me. Alice was standing there smiling at me sympathetically.

"She'll understand, Edward, just leave her alone for now," she said, "You can see her tomorrow, when she's calmed down some. You can regain her trust".

Despite her assurances, I couldn't help but remember the girl's hate filled looks as I had held her down and her pained, strangled whimpering. I let out another sigh and walked after my sister as she went downstairs.

_It will be fine, brother. _She soothed. _You'll still have a chance to earn her trust, but you need to be patient. It has to be at_ her_ pace._

**A/N:** I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story **GENTLE TOUCHES** is the very same as author **ANIMAL8. **As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that **ANIMAL8 **had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to **ANIMAL8** page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as **ANIMAL8** and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of **GENTLE TOUCHES**.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

**Gentle Touches**

Chapter 2 – Discussions (EPOV)

We needed to decide what we were going to do with this girl. It would be dangerous to keep her here; living with a bunch of vampires wouldn't be healthy for any human. But from Carlisle's thoughts, I gathered that he thought it might be a better idea having her in the house where he could look after her properly.

The rest of the family was crowded together in the dining room as I entered with Alice. She immediately crossed to the corner where Jasper was standing anxiously, arms crossed across his chest.

Carlisle smiled at me sadly. _You know that we had to do that, son._ I nodded in response to his concern. We needed to be worried about the girl, not me.

I sat by his side, Esme opposite me and Emmett and Rosalie next to her. "Before we do anything, how is she?" Emmett asked a frown in his brow and images of the strange girl huddled in the corner of the cabin bedroom in his mind.

"Physically, she seems fine," Carlisle answered cautiously, "There were some cuts and scrapes and obvious abrasions on her feet. There were also rope burns on her wrists where I presume she was bound for long periods from the extent of them, and probably multiple times".

A growl automatically wanted to escape, but I squashed it down. I hated the thought that anyone had hurt such a fragile angel, but I couldn't explain my sudden attachment to this human.

"Mentally and emotionally, however…" he continued then hesitated. I knew what he meant. We didn't know what traumas she had gone through, but she had basically been reduced to a feral state. We didn't even have any idea as to what her learning capabilities were or even if she was able to communicate at all.

Emmett broke the silence again. "She seems to be in a pretty bad way," he noted, sadly, his frown deepening. "She wouldn't even let anyone touch her, and she _growls_," he added.

"Her emotions are unusual, though," Jasper spoke up. Everyone turned to stare enquiringly at him, including Alice. "Well, normally if someone is feral, they only feel basic emotions like fear," he tried to explain, "But she feels other things. Like she felt trust in Edward and then upstairs she felt betrayal. So, she must have some understanding and intelligence".

We were quiet again after his revelation. Would she be able to talk? I wondered. It was something to be considered; maybe we could try to test how much she knew and understood.

"Can you hear what she's thinking, Edward?" Jasper asked, his thoughts now considering the possibility that I could decipher her thoughts to know how to help her.

I focussed on the girl in the room, my sensitive hearing showing that she had made no movement since I had put her on the bed. To my astonishment and annoyance, I found that there was nothing: no thoughts or feelings running through her head. I couldn't _hear_ her. "No, I can't get anything," I frowned, feeling strangely off balance as I tried again to listen.

My father broke the unsettled atmosphere by continuing his evaluation of the girl. "We also have the problem of her being underweight," Carlisle included onto the growing list of problems for my angel. _My?_ I shook my head. I definitely couldn't begin to think things like that, but it did really feel like she was mine somehow.

"Would she eat if we tried to give her something?" Esme asked aloud. We turned to stare at Alice as she gazed blankly around her. I watched as she searched the future, trying to see the outcome.

She let out a small sigh and shook her head. "I don't think she will," she answered, "She's exceedingly wary and won't trust us at all. It looks like we might have to wait for a while before attempting anything".

Carlisle shook his head stubbornly, his doctor mind already analysing possible consequences of waiting. "We don't know how long she could hold out," he argued, "The longer we wait, the higher the chances of there being irreparable damage".

"I don't see any harm coming to her for waiting, which is strange actually," Alice replied calmly. "However, if you were to try and force feed her…well, let's just say, we really don't need her any more traumatised than she is already".

The doctor in Carlisle wanted to do everything possible to help this child, but he could see the sense in her words, even if it went against his nature. "I'll have an IV ready in case we need it in an emergency," he bargained. Alice smiled and nodded.

"Great now that we've argued about that, can someone tell me why it's suddenly decided that she's staying here?" Rosalie snapped bitingly.

"Where else would we send her?" Alice asked, glaring a hole straight into her head alongside the one I was drilling. _She's not getting rid of my new friend,_ she thought fiercely.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe a hospital?" Rosalie hissed sarcastically. An involuntary snarl erupted from my throat at her condescending thoughts.

Emmett shot me a warning look but returned to watching his wife worriedly. "Rose," he said softly, "There's nothing wrong with her staying here".

"Nothing wrong? _Nothing wrong!_" she exploded in fury. "There is everything wrong with that _human_ staying here, or did you forget that she is human?" Her eyes were blazing by the time she finished her sentence, and I'm sure my black look was matching hers as we continued to stare the other down, both determined not to lose.

"Rose!" Esme chastised, scowling at her daughter's behaviour. She was already feeling motherly towards the unknown girl and was worried about what she had been through, wanting to help and comfort her. I smiled slightly at her, distracted briefly from my aggravating sister.

"You know it's true. You know the risks," she was becoming desperate, I could tell. She already knew that no matter what, this angel was going to stay.

Rosalie finally fell silent as she looked around at us. Her shoulders slumped in sign of her giving up and accepting that she was defeated, at least for now. I doubted this would be the last time we heard of her on this topic; she wasn't giving up.

Carlisle stood, clearing his throat to gain our attention. "I don't think it would be a healthy decision to hand her over to authorities," he shot us all a sad smile, "They would be more interested in studying her than helping her get better, I fear".

"And for all we know, they could be the ones she escaped from in the first place," Alice added, a satisfied look on her face.

"Poor dear," Esme sighed, a forlorn look crossed with pain on her face. "Do you see if she will learn to trust us?" She asked Alice with a hopeful look.

Alice's face turned into a grimace. "No, I can't see that," she reluctantly admitted, "There are too many things that could happen and she's not in a good mental state. I don't even know if she understands us, but I do feel she is important".

"We should concentrate on trying to get her better, we can worry about that stuff later," Carlisle sighed, rubbing his brow with his fingertips, "The abrasions on her wrists will need looking after and that certainly won't make her like me". He looked up at me, asking silently, and I nodded; I would give her someone to trust.

"Maybe we should bring another blanket up to her," Esme considered aloud, compassionately thinking about how she might get cold, or she could at least have some comfort.

Alice nodded vigorously. "Edward can take it up tomorrow," she looked at me then. _She will still be scared around you, though, remember that; don't be disheartened._ I looked at her curiously, wondering what she was talking about but she shook her head.

I sighed, frustrated that she was keeping things from me again, especially things that were related to this girl. I felt surprisingly protective of her and I wanted to do anything I could to help her get batter. After having seen the state she was in, I couldn't help but worry about what her past held for her to be so traumatised.

"She needs to be cleaned as well, so we'll have to figure out a way to do that considering she won't let any of us touch her," Carlisle said, debating before coming to a quick conclusion. "It will probably have to be a blanket bath," he assumed.

Alice looked into the future again and I saw the image of the distraught angel as she lay on the bathroom floor, whimpering away from Alice's form beside her. "I can do it, but it won't be pretty," Alice sighed, "She'll get quite upset, but after that she should be fine. I don't understand why she behaves this way when we're only trying to help her".

Carlisle smile sympathetically. "Yes, but, Alice, you know she won't see it that way," he tried to explain, "Obviously something happened that made her withdraw from human contact. Possibly the way she was treated before, but we may never know, the one person who could tell us that would be her, and she's currently not in any state to tell us".

He shook his head sadly. _That poor child, I don't even want to think about what she may have gone through. _"Maybe in time she'll learn to trust us. Even then, though, you should be aware that she may not remember what happened, or she may just want to forget, so don't be surprised if that turns out to be the case".

His words quietened all of us as we descended to our own thoughts and considered the implications of what he was telling us. This girl was in a delicate state, and we would need to treat her with care. Feeling my protectiveness again, I decided to just check what the others were thinking.

_Oh, the poor dear. I wish there was something more we could do for her, but she most likely needs some time to settle first and adjust. This must be a terribly confusing change from what's she's used to; she is bound to be distressed. _Esme's motherly nature had already accepted her as one of her children with no questions asked. She made a good point, but I knew there was more to it than that, like emotional scarring.

_Oh, Edward, she's going to be a part of our family, I just know it,_ Alice was thinking. _It's going to be perfect, you'll see._ I shook my head at her exuberance.

_Maybe she would be fun as a new sister, once she's better of course, but all of us will make sure she gets there._ Emmett was imagining her as a new play buddy and I wondered how my angel would react to her new 'brother'.

_It's so dangerous to keep her here where anything could happen. One of us could slip or we could have a visitor, particularly the Volturi,_ Jasper was worrying about the issues and his own control. _But she does need help and we could probably help her if her instincts don't scare her away first. And Edward is attached to her as well…_

I left his thoughts as soon as he started to become inquisitive about my own motives with this girl. One set of thoughts stood out more from the rest simply because of their unexpectedness, though, and my mind automatically tuned in on them.

_Perhaps it won't be so bad having her here. She's not exactly in the best state,_ here an image of how the girl was when we first arrived home, me with her cradled tightly to my chest, protectively. _Everyone seems to like her and she can't exactly reveal our secret. We will have to be careful about anyone discovering her, but we have Alice and Edward._ Rosalie was finally willing to welcome her into our group.

I must have been wearing a slightly smug expression, for she suddenly rounded on me. _Don't get carried away, Edward. I can still change my mind. But for now I see no problem._ She backed her words with a sharp glare in my direction.

I gave her a short nod in acquisition; I was just happy that she wasn't going to fight us on this. Carefully, I listened in on the girl again and found that both her heart rate and breathing were more relaxed. It seemed Alice was right about leaving her alone, but I should have known not to bet against her.

"We will have to take things very carefully with her," Carlisle announced and we turned to face him. "We don't want her to be overwhelmed, so just go slowly and don't force too much on her at once". I didn't miss the look he sent to me and Alice, obviously knowing that we would somehow be the closest to her.

I already knew this, of course. She was fragile, both emotionally and physically. I had seen how she shied away from contact, so I knew that I would have to take this slow, but I was determined to get her better. She would learn to trust me, I knew it.

Alice smiled at me, though I knew that she could not see anything of the girl's future, and I returned it with a short nod and left for my piano. I allowed the soft notes of the instrument to flow over me as I thought about how I would try to help my beautiful angel.

**A/N:** I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story **GENTLE TOUCHES** is the very same as author **ANIMAL8. **As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that **ANIMAL8 **had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to **ANIMAL8** page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as **ANIMAL8** and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of **GENTLE TOUCHES**.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

**Gentle Touches**

Chapter 3 – Alice's Hope (EPOV)

The morning came with surprisingly little drama. It had taken a few hours of being alone last night for the girl's breathing and heart rate to even out, indicating that she had slipped into sleep, and now Alice was waiting eagerly for her to wake up.

My sister was ready with some comfortable clothes to dress the child in after giving her a wash. I had to laugh when she grimaced at them, thinking about how unfashionable they were and wishing that she could burn them and use something more stylish in replacement.

Carlisle had spent time during the night doing research on psychological trauma and possible ways we could use to ease her back into a normal life. Esme was already mothering over the girl, planning what she could do in terms of clothes, food and comfort.

Even my other siblings, namely Emmett, though, had been thinking about her. Rosalie was still unsure of having her staying with us, and Jasper didn't think it was safe enough. It seemed that Emmett was the only one, besides Alice and myself, who was actually quite happy to have her here. He had begun considering her as the little sister that he could protect, because Alice would never allow him to treat her that way. It was as if her vulnerable state brought out his brothering instinct. I smiled a little at the thought.

I was happy, but I couldn't explain, even to myself, why I would feel that way. I knew there was a part, a very large part, which was delighted with the presence of this strange angel. That same part was the one that made my heart constrict whenever I thought about the condition she was in.

_She should be waking up soon._ Alice's thoughts notified me quickly, and I looked into her mind to see that she was standing outside the door to my bedroom, where the angel was staying. I wondered why she would choose to wait there instead of inside the room. She answered my thought before I had the chance to voice it. _I saw that she would freak if I was in the room when she woke. She really doesn't like being near other people. I guess she just needs some time to acclimate to where she is before having to deal with my presence._

Her thinking made sense, but I was sad. This girl shouldn't have to be afraid, though she had every reason to be as she was living in a house with vampires, but she didn't know that. I sighed, and lay back against the pillow, my legs stretching the length of the bed. I had moved myself into the guest room while mine was being occupied.

Alice appeared at the door to my new bedroom wearing a sad look as she stared at me. I raised one eyebrow in question when she didn't speak immediately. "You have to stay in here when I clean her," she stated. I continued staring, still not understanding. "I saw that she is going to be terrified, but it will only make it worse if you come in there as well."

I winced, but nodded. Accepting my response, she left again. I followed Alice's mind as she returned to the girl's room, I wasn't going to pry on her, but I wanted to see her again. I had to admit, I was more curious about this strange girl than I cared to acknowledge. But then, who wouldn't be when they find a small child in the middle of the forest in the state she was in? At least, that's what I was convincing myself of.

I heard no sounds of the angel stirring, but the tell tale speeding of her heart and breathing let me know. Well that and Alice finally made her presence known in her room. A rough growl sounded and I saw through Alice that the child had backed herself to the edge of the bed, and was curled tightly into a ball, snarling softly.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Alice murmured quietly as she approached the frightened human slowly. She sat down on the other side of the bed, causing another sharp growl to be emitted from the girl's mouth. "It's okay," she soothed. Carefully, she stretched one hand out and touched her lightly on the leg closest to her.

The girl flinched so bad she nearly threw herself onto the floor. Alice pulled back, discouraged. "I wish I knew your name," she sighed, "Or at least if you could understand me. It might make things easier."

Still, the small girl didn't remove her untrusting gaze from my sister and I caught the fear that was hidden, masked behind the glare she was trying unsuccessfully to send. Alice steeled herself and reached out again, this time contacting her shoulder. She refused to draw back even when the girl jerked from her touch and began whimpering almost silently.

Alice shifted closer to her and a light tremor ran down her spine. Before I could warn her, my sister had a hand clasped around her arm, just above the bandages marking where her injury lay. The angel thrashed violently at the contact and Alice released her out of shock.

"Don't touch her arms if possible," I advised Alice, dismayed when I saw that the girl was now trembling even more frantically than before and her eyes looked wild as they flashed around the room. She looked so scared that I felt my heart react to her pain, clenching tightly.

I was aware of Alice nodding as she tried a different approach. She slid off the bed and moved to the side the girl lay on and scooped her up into her arms as she was trying to turn over. The girl wriggled and squirmed as she had done to me, but Alice was able to restrain her easily with her superior strength.

I left her mind once she entered the bathroom, not wanting to intrude, but I kept listening with my own ears. The door to the bathroom clicked shut softly, dampening the light murmurs as Alice continued to soothe the poor child. I sighed and wished momentarily that I was able to see her and see for myself how she was coping, though I could easily guess. All I had left to do now was to wait. Alice would let me know when I was needed again.

(APOV)

It was strange for me, seeing this girl curled up, so afraid of me, on the bed. I wanted to help her, I already felt as though she could be another sister to me, but the future wasn't clear on what would happen to her.

I didn't exactly know how to approach her, but I quickly learnt not to grab for her arms. Edward told me quietly that she didn't like that and I made a note to be more careful in the future.

Eventually, I had taken her into my arms and carried her into the bathroom. She struggled against me and it was a pitiful sight to witness; she was so weak and so afraid. I wondered what had happened to her. Never before had I seen anything like what this girl was displaying and it made me unsure. I didn't like that.

I paused once I was in the room with the door closed. I realised that I couldn't put her in the tub as it would make my job more difficult, so I placed her gently on the floor. The instant I withdrew my hands, she was curled into her protective ball again, trembling against the tiles.

Shaking my head miserably, I quickly darted around the room, gathering the things that I would need. I took a wash cloth and towels as well as various body products. This would need to be quick in order to reduce the amount of stress because it was obviously traumatic for her to have contact with anyone else.

Once I had placed these things within reach, I knelt down beside her shivering frame. She cringed away from my presence and tried to back into the nearest corner without success. Reluctantly, I tugged her legs away from her chest and began removing the clothes that she was wearing.

She tried to fight me with every movement, but was too weak to even crawl away, though that would have made no difference with my strength and speed. I was trying to be gentle with her, but it was hard, knowing that everything I did caused her distress.

I managed to pull her top over her head after some coaxing and soothing. The girl tucked herself around her torso, pressing her face into her knees so she wasn't even looking at me. I frowned at the state she was in beneath the clothes.

The bandages on her wrists were stark against the filth coating her skin, but even under that I could still clearly see the bruises and the way her ribs protruded more than normal and the dark marks under her eyes when she lifted her head a fraction.

"You're going to be okay," I assured her softly, "We're going to make you better." As I said this, she raised her head and met my gaze. It looked as though she had understood what I had said and I felt hope for the first time since seeing the state she was in. I reached out and stroked her hair back comfortingly, ignoring it when she flinched visibly.

With one hand I grabbed the cloth, dampening it before setting to work. I scrubbed away carefully with steady movements, removing more of the dirt each time. The girl had resumed her struggling in the instant I had started and I was disappointed to lose what contact I had managed to make with her, but it was necessary.

As I moved over her body, she began to still, but I was aware of the salty smell of her tears as they stained her cheeks. Tremors racked her body and she seemed powerless to prevent her reactions.

Finally, when I had cleaned the last part of her, I stepped away, allowing her a small reprieve. Now that she was clean I could clearly see the marks that marred her fair skin and I was horrified at how she had been treated.

I took the towel, a large fluffy one so she would be more comfortable, and wrapped it around her. She was quiet as I dried her, and she remained tense, barely flinching, though she still cringed into the tiled floor.

Now the hardest part came. I had brought some clean clothes in here before I set to work and I picked these up. With some effort, I was able to manipulate her into them and started towelling her hair.

When I picked her up again she jerked and whimpered, but didn't put up anything like the fight she had earlier. I guessed her energy had been spent for now. I laid her on the same spot of the bed she had been when she woke and stepped back, watching her.

She looked more comfortable now. She had resumed her tucked position and was hugging her knees to her chest tightly as though someone would try to hurt her otherwise. I wanted to help her so bad and I know the others did as well, at least Edward, Carlisle and Esme definitely. Emmett was sympathetic to her and I was pretty sure he wanted to help. Jasper was unsure, but he would do it for me and I had a feeling he would accept her as well.

Rosalie was a mystery, though. I knew she hated her at the minute and wanted her gone, but I couldn't tell if or when those feelings would change. My hopes were that we would help this strange girl recover from her ordeal and that she would eventually find a place to belong within our family.

I walked to the door and cast a last glance back at her vulnerable form. She had lifted her head and was watching me closely, though still highly suspicious and fearful of me. I wondered again if she understood me, and the felt somewhat certain as I remembered when I talked to her in the bathroom. It was like we had connected.

I felt hopeful now that, even without a vision, she would be able to recover. It would just take time and patience to get her there and lot of carefulness to not knock her off the path. She was so vulnerable and almost anything could set her rehabilitation back. We definitely needed to be aware of what we did around her.

**A/N:** I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story **GENTLE TOUCHES** is the very same as author **ANIMAL8. **As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that **ANIMAL8 **had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to **ANIMAL8** page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as **ANIMAL8** and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of **GENTLE TOUCHES**.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

**Gentle Touches**

Chapter 4 – A Start (EPOV)

I listened as Alice left the girl and heard her thoughts. She believed there was a chance that the girl could understand us, even if she didn't respond in any way or even seem to trust us. Again, I tried to imagine what had happened to her and why someone would do this. But I was hopeful that if she could understand us, it would help us to help her.

I was glad that my family and I had found her. I knew that we could look after her properly and be the ones to get her better. I couldn't wait to see my angel again as I impatiently paced inside my room.

Alice found me like this when she entered and rolled her eyes at me. _She's fine, Edward,_ she thought, _I don't see there being much of a problem, but leave her alone for a couple of hours._ "She needs some time alone to adjust," Alice contemplated, "I think if we go steady and not overwhelm her with too much at any one time, she should get used to being around us and then we can work on other things."

It seemed like a reasonable place to start, but I would have to see what Carlisle said about it; he knew more about these things despite my being able to read his mind. I didn't want to rush things and risk threatening her recovery.

"Okay, we'll discuss it later, alright Alice?" I asked, looking at her questioningly. She nodded and followed me as I felt and went downstairs, though not without pausing to listen to the heartbeat of the small human first. I was aware that Alice hid a smirk at that action, but ignored her for now.

We found the rest of the family waiting in the lounge. They looked up as we entered and I heard most of their thoughts wondering about the girl. I went straight to my piano and sat at the bench while Alice explained.

"Well, she definitely does not like any physical contact," she stated the obvious, but I refrained from making a biting remark, "Her whole body has bruises of varying sizes, though I don't know the severity of it." She turned to Carlisle with a worried look as she said this.

I grimaced at the thought of there being more damage we were unaware of, as we didn't remove any of her clothes in order to not stress her any further. Even then, we had found her wrists and feet. How bad was she? I wondered.

Carlisle was concerned, but I was relieved to see that he didn't think she had any serious internal injuries. He hadn't smelt any bleeding that would indicate as such, and I breathed a sigh that there wasn't any serious damage.

"What I'm worried about, besides trying to get her weight up, is when it comes to checking her bandages," Carlisle frowned, "I don't want her reacting that way every time, it's not healthy for her, but I don't see what can be done to avoid it."

Alice was quiet for a moment, watching me. "I'm sure something will come up," she suggested cryptically.

I frowned at her, not sure if I liked the way she hinted at something between me and the angel. At the same time, though, my insides fluttered at the thought of getting to be close to her, trusted by her. I pushed that feeling away quickly, not understanding the reason behind it.

Everyone else was confused, but didn't bother to ask, already knowing Alice had her own convoluted way of seeing things thanks to her ability. "So, what do we do with her?" Emmett asked, "How do we help her?"

Carlisle sighed. "That's a difficult thing to know because we have no idea how she'll react to everything. Some things we know, like the physical contact," he nodded to me and Alice. "But, first off, I think we shouldn't crowd her. Just let her get used to a few people at a time," he suggested, "After that, we can see how things go. We'll just have to take things one step at a time, go very slowly. Eventually, we should be able to work her up to getting around outside and back into a normal life."

His mind showed his uncertainty. He believed we could help her, but didn't know how to go about it, so he was lost in this and was playing it each moment at a time to dictate the next move.

"She seemed to trust Edward," Jasper noted. He remembered in the cabin that she had allowed me to carry her despite constantly flinching away from my touch.

Alice nodded in agreement. "Carlisle as well will need to see her, to keep a check on her physical recovery," Alice said.

"What about the rest of us?" Emmett pouted. I rolled my eyes at his behaviour, but part of me was glad that he really wanted to get involved in helping this girl. "What if we want to help?"

"Don't worry, Emmett," Alice assured, trying to pat his shoulder, "You'll get your chance. Who do you think is going to teach her about all the fun video games? You'll just need to be patient with her."

Emmett was surprisingly uplifted at the thought of playing games with his new 'sister', as he thought of her. I smiled slightly, hoping that she would fit in with my family.

"But now, we get to go shopping," Alice squealed, bouncing around while Jasper attempted to control her with little success. I felt sorry for whoever was dragged with her, and sorry for the small human she was planning on showering with clothes.

"Alice," I placated, "I really don't think she will need all of those clothes."

She huffed at me and glared darkly. "She may not need them now, but trust me, she will need them," she asserted. No one argued with her after that, which was just what she wanted.

"Do you think we should start keeping more human food in the house?" Esme asked with a worried, motherly frown on her forehead. I wasn't surprised that she was already accepting her as another daughter; that was just they way she was. And she was a wonderful mother.

Alice lost her exuberance and looked down sadly. "We could have some," she hesitated, "But to be honest, I'm not sure when we'll get her to eat. And once we do, it will probably be a while before she's on solids. She's very weak."

I felt myself frown at that. Yes, she had a lot of fight in her still, but her struggles were a lot weaker than a healthy human's. And if she wasn't being touched, she made no effort to move apart from curling herself smaller. I don't think she even had the strength to stand. It brought back the harsh reality of her dire condition to me and fuelled my desire to see her well again.

"I still can't see how things will turn out," Alice confessed, "She could go downhill very quickly for all I know and I probably wouldn't see it until it was too late."

Too late, my mind echoed with dread. I didn't want that possibility to ever become a reality. I wasn't sure what was happening, but this girl was affecting me. She was vulnerable and afraid and all I wanted was to protect her, to be near her.

I shook my head from those thoughts, refusing to get carried away. Jasper glanced curiously at me for a moment before turning away. I would have to be more careful with my emotions around him if I didn't want to make him suspicious.

Esme had left the room without me noticing and she returned now with a thick, fleecy blanket in a pale blue colour folded neatly over her arm. She came over to me and I looked up at her, taking the blanket as she offered it to me. "For the girl," she explained.

Understanding, I nodded and placed it next to me so I could bring it up to her when I went to see her. Now that the conversation had lagged to an end, I turned to my piano and lightly fingered the keys, debating what to play. I could hear my mother's hopeful thoughts and smiled as I immediately knew what I was going to play.

My fingers pressed the keys, settling into the familiar pattern as I brought the song to life. Behind me, my family were excited to hear me playing after so long of neglecting the instrument and I chastised myself. I really needed to play more often, I reminded myself.

_Oh, Edward,_ Esme sighed as she listened to the song I wrote for her, _it's beautiful._ I smiled at her thought, pleased that she appreciated my playing. I liked that I could stir such strong emotions in people just by my music; it made me feel like I could at least do something well, something that was good.

_Thank you, my son,_ Carlisle thought to me as he held his wife gently, pride and gratefulness radiating in his mind as he spoke. The song came to a close and the last chord hung poignantly in the air as my fingers finally stilled.

I turned around, suddenly self conscious to find, not only my parents, but all of my siblings gathered together as they appraised my work. But, despite that, I was glad. This was one of those times I felt as though I belonged with them. Except now, there was another reason for me to stay.

I was curious about this girl. I wanted to know more about her, everything, including what had happened to her. Most importantly, I wanted to be the one she trusted, even though I knew she shouldn't. These feelings disconcerted me because I couldn't explain them. I didn't even know her to be able to feel this, but there was something that drew me in.

For a start, I couldn't read her mind. I had no idea what she was thinking, so I couldn't understand why she behaved the way she did. She was a mystery.

_Edward, I know you can hear me. You can go and see her now,_ Alice's thoughts came to me. I was standing in an instant, remembering to grab the blanket at the last minute, and rushed up the stairs.

Her scent grew stronger as I approached her room and I slowed, inhaling cautiously to make sure I was in control. I was. So I reached my arm out and carefully opened the door to the bedroom, trying not to startle her with any sudden movements.

When I entered, I stood and quietly observed her from the doorway. She was curled up into her tight ball, her head buried in her knees and her long hair, still damp from being washed, was splayed across the pillow beneath her head.

I shut the door behind me, the soft click causing her to jerk slightly, though she didn't look up to see me. As I moved closer, she began trembling delicately, so slightly it was barely detectable, and a quiet growl rumbled in her chest. She still didn't lift her head, the only sign that she was aware of my presence being the increase in her shivering as I came closer.

"It's okay," I soothed quietly as I sat tentatively on the edge of the bed, "I'm not going to hurt you." Her growling quietened and then stopped altogether and I waited to see how she reacted.

She didn't do anything for a moment, but then, hesitantly, she lifted her head and I was met with those strangely deep brown eyes again. I stared at her, willing her to understand that I meant her no harm.

I stretched out my hand to touch her arm, above the elbow, and she flinched as I expected, but I didn't pull away. I moved my thumb to lightly stroke her skin through the thin top, amazed at how her warmth burnt through my fingers, spreading to the rest of my hand. When she whimpered almost silently, I stopped and watched her carefully. Her eyes were closed again and her face turned into the pillow, hiding her eyes from me.

Wanting to show her that I accepted her reluctance, I moved my hand back, exercising a careful, none touch distance between us. She relaxed imperceptibly, but her posture was still stiff and clearly displaying her discomfort.

Desperate to do something, I looked down and recalled the blanket I had brought up for her. I picked it up and unfolded it, running my palm over the soft material when I saw her glance up curiously. I repressed a smile that I had her attention and instead positioned myself so I could gently lay it over her.

She watched warily as I moved, tightening her muscles when the fabric covered her. I released the blanket, making sure no part of me came into contact with her. Once I was sure it would keep her comfortable, I sat back, resisting the urge to brush a finger to her smooth skin.

She looked down at the blanket then back up to me, a wondering expression on her face. I smiled softly at her and explained. "I don't want you to get cold."

For a moment, she just stared at me. I could see she was still wary and cautious, but there was curiosity in there as well. And then, so fast I couldn't be sure I had actually seen it, her lips twitched into a slight smile before disappearing in an instant.

It didn't matter that it was small and didn't last. It was a start.

**A/N:** I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story **GENTLE TOUCHES** is the very same as author **ANIMAL8. **As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that **ANIMAL8 **had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to **ANIMAL8** page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as **ANIMAL8** and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of **GENTLE TOUCHES**.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

**Gentle Touches**

.

Chapter 5 – Doctor's Duty (CPOV)

The image of the rope burns on the girl's wrists flickered into my mind. I shook my head. Edward was with her now. I knew he had been waiting to see her since he had left her in his room. He was getting rather attached to her, I had noticed. I just hoped nothing bad came of it for him; I didn't want to see him hurt.

I didn't know what had happened to the girl, but right now we all needed to concentrate on helping her get better, which was why I was taking a trip to the hospital now. It could have waited until the morning when I started my shift, but I wanted to be prepared in case anything happened.

This girl was in pretty serious condition. She was obviously very emotionally scarred to the extent where she was reduced to a basically feral state and on top of that her physical condition was very poor. It wasn't an unheard of occurrence, but it wasn't very common either. I didn't know what other injuries she had other than what we had already found but she was definitely malnourished.

If we couldn't get her to eat anything soon, as Alice thought we wouldn't, then we needed to have other methods to get nutrients to her. The IV was just a precaution and only a preventative measure; it could only delay the inevitable.

I didn't want to have to use a feeding tube. Alice was right in that we could potentially traumatise her further, which wouldn't be beneficial to anyone, but we would need to do that if she didn't eat or else she would go downhill. She was already underweight and malnourished, though I had no idea how badly, so I didn't want it to get any worse than it was already.

In my duty as a doctor, I had to do anything in my power to help her. It was against my nature to let her suffer if I thought there was something I could do to prevent it. But right now, she didn't trust us, so it was doubtful that we could get close to her unless Edward somehow managed to gain her trust. I hoped that he could.

Rosalie wasn't happy that we were paying so much attention to this human. She thought it was pointless. I shouldn't have been surprised knowing her lack of trust in people, especially humans, but I was disappointed in my oldest daughter all the same. She had resorted to sulking as much as possible in her room since we had made the agreement. The others generally didn't have a problem with her staying there. Jasper was wary, given how his past had instilled a strong respect for the Volturi's laws, but because Alice was absolutely ecstatic he was willing to go along with it to make her happy.

I pulled my Mercedes into my usual parking space, close to the entrance, when I arrived at the hospital and locked the car as I headed to the building. Gina, the receptionist, looked up when I entered. "Oh, Dr Cullen, I didn't think you were expected in until tomorrow," she said to me in surprise.

I smiled at her gently. "I'm not here to work," I told her, "I just need to speak to Robert for a moment, if he's free and it's not too much trouble."

"Of course," she said, still startled, "I'll page Dr Johnson immediately. I'm sure he won't mind your visit; we've not been terribly busy today so most of staff has been left without anything to do."

Gratefully, I thanked her and told her I would wait in my office and if she could send him up to me. Once she agreed, I walked quickly to my office, thinking about the girl again and cataloguing what else I would possibly need. I kept a stock of bandages and other such first aid supplies in the house, so we were fine with that.

_The only thing I need from the hospital, then, is the IV,_ I thought to myself. _Unless it becomes necessary for more intrusive treatment,_ I added grimly, but we didn't need that for now.

It didn't take long for my door to open again and I looked up to the familiar face of the friendly doctor. He smiled at me and sat down when I gestured him to the nearest chair. "Carlisle, I have to say it was a surprise to hear from you," he started cheerfully, "What is it I can do for you?"

I smiled back at him pleasantly. "Robert," I nodded to him in greeting. "Actually," I hesitated, trying to come up with a reason for what I was asking, "I was hoping I could get my hands on some saline bags and an IV stand."

He looked surprised at my request, which was a reasonable reaction considering it wasn't usual to ask for such things to take away from a hospital. Usually such things would only be used to treat patients within the hospital. "Of course you can have my permission to sign those things out, I trust that you know what you're doing," he finally replied. "But, and I don't mean to intrude, but may I ask why?"

I sighed. This was why it would have been easier to sign for the things myself, but despite my skill in my profession and the respect garnered by it, I was not the boss. It was politer and would raise fewer questions to gain his permission, but that meant I would have to have an excuse and I knew from experience that it was safer to stick closer to the truth.

"I have a –" I broke off, searching for a way to word it, "situation at home involving a new girl that we may be adopting that I am not at liberty to discuss all of the details about yet. The decision has not been finalised as of yet and we wanted to keep things on the low in case things change."

It was a reasonable explanation and hopefully he would accept that I didn't want it spread around that we may be adopting again. After all, we didn't know what would happen once this girl was better. She may have a family of her own looking for her. But if there was no one, I was more than willing to take her into the family, as I was sure most of the others would. Rosalie would just have to deal with the decision and hopefully she would come around eventually.

"Of course, I can understand that, Carlisle," Robert nodded with a kind smile. I knew that I could trust him not to gossip. Not that it mattered much. If it came out that we were adopting and the girl couldn't stay with us we could just say that the adoption fell through and we were all very disappointed and if she did stay with us, well, then the story would be true.

"Thank you very much, Robert," I said, relieved. I would have to remember to discuss the story with the rest of my family. If she did end up staying with us, we would need a cover story for how she came to us, some background to her.

He smiled at me as we both stood. "It's no problem, Carlisle," he assured me, chuckling. "What's one favour for all you do for this hospital?" He asked rhetorically.

I didn't reply, not wanting to draw more attention to myself as he led us to the stock room. "Two bags alright for you?" He asked, his head already in the cupboard as he pulled things out, "If you need more then you can always come back."

"Two will be fine," I answered politely as he straightened up and handed the precious bags to me. They were filled with saline which would help to hydrate the girl if she couldn't eat anything, but it wasn't much substitution for solid foods and proper nutrients. My hope was that it would give her a bit more strength that she might be able to eat. If not, I would have to rethink what we would do.

I carried the bags out to my car while he followed behind bringing the stand. I could have easily carried both, but as he had volunteered I saw no reason not to accept his help. "Thanks again, Robert," I said to him as I opened the driver's door.

"I told you, it's no problem, Carlisle," he repeated his previous sentiment. I gave him another smile before folding into my seat and pulling the door closed behind me.

My colleague stepped back as I started the engine and back out of the parking space. The drive home was short, filled with thoughts and plans on what to do with the girl to get her better and then what to do after she had recovered.

Alice was sitting on the stairs, watching the door, when I arrived home. She jumped up when I closed the door behind me and I smiled to her. "Hello, Alice," I greeted, "What can I do for you?"

She looked at me anxiously and I was suddenly worried if she had seen something happen. "What's the matter, Alice?" I asked, concerned, "Did you see something?"

"No," she said slowly, her eyes glazed as she checked something I didn't have a hope of seeing myself. "Carlisle," she started hesitantly. "I have a bad feeling about those," she nodded to the bags of saline in my hand, "I can't see anything, but..." She trailed off.

I frowned as I digested what she was saying. It was only saline, nothing in it that could cause a reaction, so what was the problem? "I don't understand," I voiced calmly, "What makes you have that feeling?"

She shook her head and sighed. "I don't know, I can't see anything," she responded, repeating her earlier words, "I can't understand it because I don't see anything specific with the girl, but I have a feeling and it's not good."

I knew that Alice's 'feelings' were quite often correct. It was an extended part of her gift, I had theorised, so that she had a natural instinct for the future other than just seeing visions. It was also usually wise to take into account what she tells you. "I don't know what to do, Alice," I admitted, "If we can get her to eat, then I won't need to use the IV drip, but if not...I don't think I'll have a choice if I want to help her."

Alice bowed her head and nodded slightly. "I know, Carlisle," she said understandingly, "If I see anything else, I'll let you know." She turned and ran up the stairs, probably heading to Jasper to comfort her from whatever was bothering her.

I went through to the kitchen and found my beautiful wife busily cleaning the work surfaces. I recognised her technique of keeping herself occupied when she was worried and immediately went to her, wrapping my arms around her. "I'm sure she'll be fine," I assured her, "It will just take time."

"I know," she sighed, pulling back from me. "I'm just worrying like I do about all of our kids." I smiled softly when she spoke of our 'children' and I knew that she including the girl into that as well. "Edward's with her now," she added quietly, "It's amazing the way he acts with her. Do you think maybe...?"

She didn't finish her sentence and she didn't need to. I knew what she was getting at and it was something that had occurred to me as well. "I don't know," I told her, not wanting her to get her hopes up just yet, "We'll just have to wait and see how things go."

"Yes, of course," she nodded understandingly, but I still heard the undercurrent of hope in her voice. She was always worried for our 'oldest' son.

"I'm going to go upstairs and see if I can find something that might be useful in one of my old books," I whispered in her ear as I let her go. She nodded and I turned and left the room.

I thought back to Alice. Her words had me unsettled. If there was a possibility that the IV could harm her, could I take that risk? But I knew that if I didn't and she didn't eat or drink anything she would inevitably weaken further, even to the point of death. It was a difficult choice to make, but in my heart I already knew that if it came to it then I would try, if only to give her a chance. The future wasn't definite.

If things went well, though, we would still have plenty of time before having to resort to that. Let's hope that Edward can work with her to get closer to her and then I'll see about trying to get her to eat something.

Decided on that, I walked to the improvised medical room to drop of the IV before moving to my office. I found my books on psychology to try and find something that may help me understand her behaviour. It was already clear, though, that she had been held captive by the binding marks on her wrists and that she had been abused as well. Her fear of being touched was indicative of abuse as well, which would make it more difficult for her to trust us.

We needed to show her that we weren't going to hurt her. Unfortunately, her opinion of me may have been soured from our first encounter because of her having to be restrained while I treated her wounds. In her mind, it was possible that she just saw me as someone who was inflicting pain rather than trying to help her as I was. If that was the case, she could reject my presence near her, so I would have to be extra cautious in gaining her trust.

Sighing, I opened one of the leather bound books and lost myself in the science of the mind.

**A/N:** I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story **GENTLE TOUCHES** is the very same as author **ANIMAL8. **As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that **ANIMAL8 **had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to **ANIMAL8** page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as **ANIMAL8** and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of **GENTLE TOUCHES**.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

**Gentle Touches**

Chapter 6 – Making Progress (EPOV)

I stayed perched on the edge of the bed, hoping for the girl to become more comfortable in my presence as I tried to think of something I could do. I knew I needed to be slow and not overwhelm her, but none of us had any thoughts on how to progress with her.

It was a good sign that she had reacted to me in a positive way, even for that brief moment, instead of shying away as she had been seen to do. All I needed to do was find some way to encourage that response. Hopefully that way I would be able to assuage her obvious fears.

The angel in front of me had relaxed enough that she was no longer watching me cautiously, though she still glanced at me occasionally. I stayed by her side, keeping an eye on her and trying to study her behaviour in an attempt to understand her.

I listened to Carlisle's mind as he rifled through his psychology books, searching for something that might help us with this strange girl. Esme was hovering anxiously downstairs, cleaning as she tried to distract herself. I knew she was worried about this girl, just like I was, and that she didn't like not being able to do something in some way to help her. It went against her instincts as a mother.

I came out of my thoughts and glanced down at the quiet girl. She had gone back to ignoring me for now, I saw with disappointment. Her arms were held protectively around her body and she had her knees tucked to her chest with her eyes closed. Was she tired? I wondered. That would make sense, because she was so weak she was bound to be easily tired out.

We would have to be aware of that as well. It was most likely why, even when she was extremely stressed, she only put up a minimal fight that quickly powered out. The few times she had fought against us were only in short bursts of energy, probably due to an added adrenaline rush to her system.

I filed those thoughts away for later debate and focused on the fragile angel in front of me. Curious to attempt something, but wary of how she would react, I cautiously lowered myself down to lie on the bed beside her with my body turned in her direction.

As soon as I moved her eyes snapped open and fixed on me. She growled and glared at me, her hands pulling the blanket tighter around her body. I was pleased that she seemed to take some comfort from the simple material and thought that Esme would be happy as well to have been able to do something useful.

Despite her warnings, I continued to move until I was completely lying down on my side, making sure to keep my movements slow so as to appear unthreatening.

She still didn't remove her gaze from me, watching suspiciously even as I remained unmoving and unthreatening. I wanted to get closer to her, to see if that helped me hear what she was thinking, but I resisted and waited, knowing better from Carlisle's warning than to crowd her.

Instead, I listened to heart, pulsing steadily and strongly, if a little fast, in her chest. That sound represented her life and I found myself marvelling at it, wondering how something that was so fragile, so easily breakable, could sustain such life and how that life itself was so vulnerable.

After ten minutes of waiting, she still had not relaxed and I was at the point of considering moving back to where she was comfortable having me when she suddenly sighed and her body mostly un-tensed itself.

I didn't dare make a move, barely even breathing, fearing that anything I did would startle her. So I stayed where I was and watched her as she slowly calmed, but she didn't close her eyes again, instead keeping them locked on me. Those brown eyes captivated me. They were strange, flecks of gold and an almost red colour mixing in with the soft, warm brown. It was mesmerising.

Her breathing and heart rate slowly evened, but her hands remained clasped in the blanket with a firm hold. It was clear that she wasn't going to trust me easily, but so far she was okay with my being here. At least she wasn't fighting, I thought. I could deal with that and I could be slow and careful with her.

"What's your name, Angel?" I asked her softly, not really expecting an answer but feeling that I should say something to break the silence.

She tilted her head but said nothing. I continued talking. "My name is Edward," I told her, part of me somehow knowing that she understood. "I found you in the forest along with my brothers," I added carefully.

No answered, although her eyes showed interest. I smiled at her as she blinked slowly, her eyes falling shut. At first she struggled to open them again, but I soothed her gently. "It's okay, Angel," I whispered, "You can go to sleep. I won't hurt you."

She gave me another wary glance, but conceded to her body's needs and rested lightly. Her eyes closed and I almost missed the contact. I could tell from her breathing that she wasn't in a deep sleep and guessed I would have to leave when she needed to sleep properly.

I stared at her, mentally tracing the features of this mysterious beauty. Her damp hair looked so soft and inviting, shining slightly in the little daylight that entered the room through the window. I wanted to touch her, to see if her hair, her skin, was as soft and smooth as it looked and unconsciously I found my hand reaching out to her.

My fingers touched her hair lightly, brushing it back from her face. She flinched away instantly, a hiss escaping her lips. Her brown eyes followed me tensely and her body was stiff as I gently stroked the strands between my fingertips. It seemed to flow as I moved it about and I smiled, transfixed. Absently, I began humming a soft tune, relishing the feel of her hair.

To my amazement, her eyes became entranced as she stared at me wide eyed. Her reaction both startled and pleased me. She seemed to like the music, I thought incredibly as my smiled broadened. I ran my hand over her hair again, still quietly humming to her as she remained in a daze. Vaguely, I registered that I was singing Clair de Lune by Debussy; one of my favourites.

As my nails grazed her forehead, she snapped out of her trance and swiftly jerked away with a slight growl. I let her move. My hand fell back to my side as she shuffled further away from where I lay, keeping her limbs close to her at all times. I was frozen as she moved; a reaction I felt to her feeling threatened. Her eyes were only half open as she dragged the comfort blanket over to her side and curled underneath it again, her body quivering.

I waited for her to relax, monitoring her physical reactions closely. It took longer this time for her to calm as much as possible with me here, and the subtle picking up of her respiratory rate warned me of her increasing distress.

Her eyes were open, but she wasn't looking at me, her face was turned into the pillow as she stared blankly. She was shaking all over again and I was becoming concerned, but I should have known better than to do what I did and I felt foolish later for not thinking before I acted.

Almost automatically, my hand reached out to check her, coming in contact with her shoulder as I tried to get her to look at me. Immediately, I realised my mistake as her heart rate picked up, sending a flurry of blood pulsing through her and her eyes flashed briefly with fear before she buried her head away from me.

She made a strangled noise as I stiffened and snatched my hand back. She thrashed once before she lay still, though her body trembled and shivered under the covers. I feared I had pushed her too far, but I didn't know what to do.

I berated myself for being so stupid. Why did I do that when I knew she was afraid? I had already taken my chances in touching her once, but I had forgotten her sensitivity and now may have cost myself a great deal of what trust I had managed to gain. I had to find a way to make this right and quickly. It was bad for her to be stressed in her condition.

"Shh, Angel," I hushed, unable to bear watching her suffer, "I'm sorry, you're okay, I'm so sorry." I didn't know how to calm her without being able to touch her so I just moved away, leaving a distance between us as I continued to whisper comfortingly.

Eventually, her tremors slowed, though they didn't dissipate entirely. She kept her head buried as her shoulders shook and I stared in anguish at her with pain and regret for my actions. I remembered Alice telling me about leaving her alone to adjust herself and I thought that might be a good idea right now so I quietly lifted myself off the bed and walked to the door.

I saw her still slightly when my weight was removed from beside her and I stared miserably at her as I turned and left, closing the door softly behind me.

Two hours later, Alice found me sulking in my room, staring despondently at the ceiling. "Edward," she sighed.

"I know, Alice," I grumbled bitterly, "I could have ruined everything with her today because I wasn't thinking about what I was doing." I didn't need her coming to berate me when I was already annoyed at myself for being so stupid.

She shook her head. "That wasn't what I was going to say," she denied. I gave her a look, knowing that was exactly what she had been thinking about. "Okay, maybe a bit," she acceded and I snorted at the understatement. She was just as annoyed at me as I was, she just didn't want to say it.

"What do you want, Alice?" I asked, whispering and wishing that she would just leave me alone so I could figure out what I was going to do.

"I wanted to tell you not to just give up on her," she told me, "Just give her time and she'll adjust. Talk to her, Edward, let her get to know you. Everything will be okay, you'll see."

I turned to her hopefully with her last statement, sitting up on my bed. "You've seen something?" I questioned, feeling my dark mood lifting.

She smiled apologetically. "It's getting clearer, but I haven't seen anything specific. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Alice," I sighed as I lay back down. It wasn't her fault that she couldn't see anything. This angel was scared and confused and didn't know whether to trust us or not and the uncertainty messed with her ability.

"I know. It's just frustrating not being able to see anything, you know?" She asked and I nodded because I did know. I hated not being able to use her visions to predict how this angel would behave and it was indeed frustrating, especially as I didn't have my own advantage of mind reading either. I never knew what to do around her and it made me feel uncomfortable and almost out of my depth.

"It will be okay," she reasserted, helping to comfort me as only she knew how. "You will gain her trust, Edward," she assured, "I know it. You just need to trust in yourself first." She left me alone after that, puzzling over what she said.

Sometimes I wondered if she saw more than she let on, but I couldn't be sure. Even without her visions, she still seemed to have a knack for predicting things. I trusted her though, so I believed that I would, one day, be trusted by my angel.

I wondered what I could do to help her settle down. I remembered when I sang to her and how she reacted. Maybe I could play her some music, I mused. If I could just get her used to being around at least me, then we had a better chance at helping her.

Carlisle's thoughts told me that he believed if she trusted me that she would be one step closer to recovery. I understood his reasoning, because if she trusted me then I would be able to support her and she could rely on me as she learned to trust the others of my family.

I wanted to be the one that she trusted, that she confided in. Confused by my own thoughts, I shook my head. It was irrational to be feeling like that when I had only known her for a couple of days and on top of that, she was human. I definitely shouldn't be obsessing over a human. If anything, she should be kept as far away from a monster like me as possible.

But she needed help, and so as long as she needed it, I was determined to be there for her. I would find some way to make progress with her. That I would not fail in, I told myself.

**A/N:** I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story **GENTLE TOUCHES** is the very same as author **ANIMAL8. **As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that **ANIMAL8 **had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to **ANIMAL8** page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as **ANIMAL8** and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of **GENTLE TOUCHES**.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

**Gentle Touches**

Chapter 7 – Working Things Out (EPOV)

I left her alone until the next morning. She had taken a few hours, lying quietly on the bed, before she finally fell asleep, to the relief of everyone. Jasper was becoming anxious because he could feel all of her pain, fear and misery spread throughout the house. The only way he could avoid it was to leave, which he was doing today for some much needed hunting.

I was relieved that he was and I was sure he knew it despite my attempts not to reveal my feelings. He was my brother, but I knew he was the weakest one out of us and I didn't want to risk anything happening to this angel. All it would take was one slip and disaster would ensue.

Rosalie was also going with Jasper. She was still having a hard time accepting that the girl was staying here, even though she had already decided not to object. I tried not to be angry with her, knowing that it would take some getting used to for all of us, but it was hard, especially when I had to listen to her thoughts.

She was upset that we had to change our routines to try and keep this girl calm and settled and not upset her with anything. In my opinion, there wasn't really much to change but that was because I was the only one really taking the time to spend with this angel.

And Alice, of course, but then she had volunteered as well, already viewing this girl as her sister. My father was concerned for my angel, but he was naturally compassionate and he lived to help others, so he also wasn't troubled by taking on the care of this girl.

Overall, Rosalie was the only one who still had any real problem with it. Jasper was still wary, but he agreed that she needed help and it was what Alice wanted and he could never deny her anything she wanted.

I sighed. At least most of my family were okay with this arrangement, though only Alice seemed to really understand the strange bond I felt to the girl. None of us had talked about it, certainly not me, but I could hear from their minds that they saw the way I behaved, the interest I had taken. They all thought about how I had never taken such interest in a human before.

They were all wondering what was going on with me and I honestly couldn't answer them because I didn't have a clue myself. All I knew was that I felt a strong urge, a need, to protect her and help her in any way that I possibly could. She was vulnerable enough to be in need of protection, but I had no rational explanation for why I should want to take up that role so readily.

But there was no denying the strange draw I felt towards her. I wondered if she sensed something as well, but then dismissed that; she was afraid of everything and everyone, so I didn't see why she would be drawn to any one of my family when given that fear.

I waited agitatedly, hoping that I would soon be able to see this angel again, even though I was uncertain how she would respond after the upset of yesterday. My sensitive hearing told me that she was still asleep and the only sounds coming from her room were her calm breathing and the pulse of her heart.

_Edward, may I please speak with you?_ Carlisle's thoughts called to me from his study, but the rest of his thoughts were hidden, to my frustration.

"Of course," I answered politely as I made my way to his room. He was waiting behind his heavy desk when I entered the room and he turned to greet me with a casual smile, placing the book in his hands onto the desk.

He gestured for me to sit and I did so, watching him expectantly. "Hello, Edward," he started, "I've not had a chance to speak with you after your last visit with the girl."

I grimaced, but nodded. I had kept myself locked away, berating myself for my stupidity and thinking over Alice's suggestion, as well as trying to figure out other ways to interact with this girl without scaring her off.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," he looked at me intently and I nodded for him to continue. "Well, I believe from what I've been told of some of her behaviour and reactions, that she does understand us, but to what extent I do not yet know. I know that Alice suggested talking to her and I think that would be a very good idea. From my experience, just the sound of someone's voice can be soothing, so even if she doesn't understand what you're telling her, it might help her relax around you which will make it easier to gain her trust."

I listened carefully to his words and to his mind as he pictured the scared patients he had had to calm in order to be able to help them. What he said made sense, but I was wondering about other sounds. "What about music?" I asked curiously.

"Music?" He questioned, leaning his head to the side. "Well, I suppose some soothing music, like classical might be helpful as well, but I would be wary of introducing it to her just yet. What made you ask?"

I thought about when I had hummed to the girl, she had acted as though she was in a trance. It seemed to calm her, enough that she didn't even flinch when I started touching her hair like she would normally do. But I decided not to tell my father that yet, it seemed too private to share at the moment, it was something between the two of us. At least I had a way of soothing her. "No reason," I shook my head.

"Alright," Carlisle accepted, "Let me know of any progress with her and I will need to do a more thorough check on her at some point, maybe in a few days. We will also need to see about getting her to eat something."

"Of course," I acknowledged, but inside I was nervous. The previous check up had not been thorough which was why Carlisle insisted on doing another, but even that had caused this girl a large amount of distress. I dreaded to think about how she would respond to having to endure a full examination.

I left his room and forced myself back downstairs so I wouldn't be tempted to pace outside the room where the girl slept. The rain was pouring outside now, battering heavily against the window panes as it was driven by the wind.

Emmett looked up from the television screen when I came into the room. "Hey, man," he greeted, "Thought you'd be up with that girl."

I shook my head slightly. "She's asleep," I told him. _Didn't think it would stop you,_ he thought. I glared at him. "I don't want to disturb her," I explained. I looked around the room, suddenly noticing how empty it felt. Esme was bustling around the kitchen, cleaning and Carlisle was still upstairs. "Hey, where's Alice?" I asked, frowning.

He looked at me peculiarly. "Dude, she went shopping about an hour ago. Something about needing clothes for the human? Didn't you hear her go out?" He asked, facing back to his Xbox game.

I hadn't, most likely too caught up in my thoughts about the girl. My frown deepened when I thought about her shopping. I told her to leave it for awhile, but I guess it made sense to just be prepared. We didn't exactly know when she was going to be capable of getting around normally.

"What was all that about last night?" Emmett asked suddenly, drawing me abruptly from my thoughts. I saw him remembering hearing the angel's distress as I tried to soothe her and I winced at the memory.

I sighed despondently. "I made a mistake," I admitted, "I moved too far past her comfort zone and she reacted. Thankfully, not as badly as when Carlisle had to examine her when she first arrived."

He nodded, still paying attention to the game he was playing before pausing and looking at me, strangely seriously. "Edward, man, I know you're probably beating yourself up about this, but there's no need," he said severely, "She's more relaxed with you than anyone else, but while you make progress there is bound to be moments where she isn't comfortable and you need to be able to help her, not freak out about it."

It wasn't often that Emmett came out with something as serious as this, but when he put his mind to it he could produce some brilliant advice. So I knew to take his words to heart as best as I could. "Thank you, Emmett," I said, clapping him briefly on the shoulder.

"No problem, man," he answered, already back into his game and facing away from me. The wind picked up at that moment, sending another flurry of icy rain colliding roughly with the side of the house.

Upstairs, I heard the distinct sound of the girl whimpering and I froze, my head snapping in her direction even from where I was. Emmett had also looked up and turned to grin at me, saying, "Go ahead, what are you waiting for?"

I nodded to him for a last time before dashing up to my old room. I waited outside, listening to the sounds from within and only then did I quietly enter and close the door after me.

On the bed lay the angel, but the first thing I noticed was that she was still asleep. I hadn't so far seen her asleep yet, not properly, and I couldn't help but notice just how peaceful she seemed when she wasn't completely afraid or mistrusting. She looked so young as well, her face smooth of any signs of stress that plagued her in her waken life and her soft lips slightly parted.

The second thing I noticed was that, while she was deeply asleep, she also appeared to be very restless. Curious, I stayed standing where I was, just watching her. Every so often the wind would blow the rain harder and each time she would twitch or toss in her sleep.

She still maintained her protective pose, her body curled tightly together as if she feared attack while she slept, and every movement she made seemed to orient around her defence. The thought made me sad as I stared at her fragile form. She shouldn't have to fear anything.

I knew I secretly wished that she wasn't afraid of me, but I tried to push that away from the forefront of my mind. It was a selfish thought that I knew I shouldn't be entertaining. If I wanted her trust then I was going to have to earn it and I intended to do just that.

The girl tossed again, a pained noise escaping her mouth and I was beside the bed before I could blink. "It's okay," I whispered, as though she would somehow hear me in her sleep. She didn't respond as she continued to shift restlessly.

I had an idea then. Slowly, I sat down next to her, careful not to jostle the bed, and started humming to her as I had done yesterday, before I ruined the small contact I had made. My hand stretched out hesitantly to run my fingers across her hair, sweeping it away from her beautiful face.

Amazingly, she relaxed as I sang to her and surprised me by unconsciously turning ever so slightly into my touch. I couldn't stop the grin from spreading over my face, but I knew it couldn't last. At that point the girl stirred and began to open her eyes.

I pulled my hand away as she opened them to stare at me in surprise. Her body tensed and she growled sharply as she realised how close I was to her, but I remained still as we eyed each other. "You're okay, Angel," I said softly, stroking her hair again as she reflexively flinched from my touch.

She stared at me and her intelligent brown eyes showed her wariness, but I thought I caught a flash of hope in there as well. And that gave me hope.

**A/N:** I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story **GENTLE TOUCHES** is the very same as author **ANIMAL8. **As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that **ANIMAL8 **had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to **ANIMAL8** page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as **ANIMAL8** and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of **GENTLE TOUCHES**.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

**Gentle Touches**

Chapter 8 – First Contact (EPOV)

She shook a bit as I laid myself down beside her again in a comfortable position and I didn't move as she got used to me being there. I made sure there was some distance between us so she wouldn't feel threatened or crowded by me invading her personal space.

I really had no idea what I was doing and everything was just taking small steps at a time and seeing how she reacted, but I was beginning to understand her more. And that helped me to know what to do and how to get her comfortable with moving forward and extending her comfort zone. I already knew this would be a long process, but I was in it for the long haul and I was prepared to do whatever was necessary to help this angel.

I watched her closely as she watched me in return, and I waited for her trembling to ease as a sign of her relaxing. It didn't take as long as it had the day before, which was some progress, but it still took quite a while.

During this time, I made sure to remain still and silent, letting her adjust to my unexpected presence. I made a mental note to not be right by her side when she first awoke, at least not until she wasn't as fearful of being near me.

When she was calm I moved my arm slightly closer to her. Her eyes immediately locked onto the small movement as she tensed her muscles. I had a sudden idea that I could gradually move closer and closer to her, each time waiting until she relaxed, but never actually touching her. Not yet. That way she could adjust to being close to me. Hopefully, that is.

I quickly ran through ideas of what to talk to her about so I could put into practice Carlisle and Alice's theory of soothing her with my voice. I knew that I obviously couldn't tell her anything that might hint towards me being different, not human, but that didn't mean I couldn't give her an edited version of my life. For some reason, I wanted her to know something about me, even if it wasn't entirely the truth.

"I was adopted," I finally spoke. She looked up at me again, curiosity in her gaze as she tilted her head minutely. "My parents died," I paused briefly, trying to remember their faces. "Carlisle and Esme took me in and treated me like their son. I don't deserve their love, but at the same time I've never been more grateful towards anyone." I stopped talking there. I had never told anyone that, though I'm sure Carlisle knew how I felt, and I had no idea why had I chosen to tell her that, of all things. Maybe because I wanted to show her that I trusted her with something personal. I didn't know, but I wanted her to know me.

The angel seemed interested as she stared at me, as if trying to read more in me behind my words. I took advantage of her distraction to creep my hand closer to her. She locked onto it and froze, growling softly. "It's okay, Angel. I'm not going to hurt you," I whispered.

She growled deeper and shuffled herself awkwardly away from me. I waited patiently until she stopped and when she did, she looked back at me with an odd look on her face, as if she was wondering why I hadn't done anything yet. I felt another painful clench in my heart as I wondered what she had expected me to do.

When I still didn't make another move towards her, she relaxed and ceased the low growl that was emanating from her throat. An unsure look crossed her face and she suddenly looked very vulnerable, more so than when I had found her in that poor state of a cabin, or when I had held her down for Carlisle to check her. And it was because of this that I reached out for her again, despite knowing the possible consequences.

My hand touched her cheek and she jumped at the contact but didn't move from me. I gently stroked my fingers down her skin, caressing and feeling her warmth burning into my frigid skin. She kept eye contact, suspiciously analysing me for my intentions. My face was open with the honesty and good intention of my actions as I allowed her to see, praying for it to show her that I didn't want to hurt her.

It looked like she believed this more than my soothing words, though she remained tense beneath my fingers. I let my hand drop and watched as some emotion that I couldn't decipher flickered in her deep, brown eyes. She was an enigma to me. I couldn't read her mind and her face was often hard for me to interpret and I was afraid I would get something wrong.

She looked torn for a moment before she cautiously moved towards me, only minimally, stopping when she was back where she was to begin with. I smiled in encouragement and reassurance, pleased that she seemed to be more relaxed around me.

Her small hand clutched tightly at the blanket she was still relying on for comfort and I had an abrupt, irrational sense of jealousy towards it. I shook my head, surprised at myself and a little disturbed for where that thought had sprung from.

"I wish I knew how to help you," I said sadly. A tiny furrow found its way onto her brow and I couldn't resist the urge to touch it lightly, tenderly. She looked surprised, but to my delight didn't flinch away.

Her frown deepened and she seemed sad, but it passed so quickly that I wondered if I had actually seen it. I sighed as I took my hand away; I just didn't understand her reactions. One minute she was cringing away from everything I did and then it looked like she was trying to figure me out as I was trying with her.

Only she was probably more successful than I was as I was beginning to doubt I'd ever be able to figure her out. I was probably being presumptuous because I hadn't really gotten to know her at all yet and maybe that was the key to deciphering her.

I came out of my musing and once again focused on the angel. I really needed to stop getting lost in my thoughts while I was with her, I thought. She didn't seem to mind, though, as she was still watching me closely and I had a flash of discomfort being under her scrutiny.

It was unnerving that she could make me feel that way, but sometimes her eyes were so intense, even when she wasn't glaring, that I felt the need to avoid her gaze. It was as if she could see so much more than the average human, reading everything about me through my eyes. I didn't think I would ever admit to that, though.

The girl yawned widely and her eyes drifted closed. She lay like that for a few minutes and just when I was considering moving away and leaving her in peace, she opened them again, blinking at me sleepily. I smiled and swept a lock of hair that had fallen into her eyes out of the way. She didn't move as I did so until she yawned again.

Had she been sleeping enough? I wondered. She looked so tired; I could even see the dark circles under her eyes, though thankfully they were less pronounced than when I had found her.

I looked down, taking my eyes off of her, and stared at my hands which were playing with edge of the blanket covering the girl. Her eyes flicked down as well when she caught the movement and she tensed slightly. I froze, expecting to hear the sharp sound of her growls echo through the room, but she remained silent.

Quickly, I looked back into her eyes to see what she was thinking. She was watching my hands with a thoughtful expression, but when she saw me watching her she switched her gaze back onto me. "I wonder if you would like my brother, Emmett," I thought aloud, not realising I had spoken until I heard my voice.

She blinked, surprised at the change in direction, and angled her head at me, her eyes curious and probing. I chuckled as I interpreted that to mean she wanted to know what I meant. "He looks kind of scary, but really he's a big teddy bear," I said softly, smiling at the thought of how apt the description was, "He's a joker as well, always making cracks at one thing or another."

Her delicate arm moved so I could see it peeking out from under the cover. It was less than an inch from where my hand still rested and I wondered if she had noticed or not. Nonetheless, I moved my hand closer so my flesh just barely skimmed her hand. It felt as if I had been shocked, the electricity leaving behind a tingling sensation that I was not accustomed to.

The girl jumped, most likely at the unexpected touch, but I was curious – had she felt that too? I didn't know. "Did you feel that?" I asked, feeling slightly foolish for voicing my question. Her eyes widened in, what I assumed was, shock, but she didn't answer me.

Moving more deliberately, I carefully wrapped my hand around her small fingers. She sucked in a sharp breath as I held her hand, but my eyes were fixed on our entwined hands. I couldn't believe how good it felt to hold her hand like this and I wondered what it was like for her.

I gently brushed my thumb over the back of her heated hand, feeling the softness of her skin and the pulse of life beneath it. It was amazingly easy to ignore her blood, I thought. I hadn't given it a thought since I met her until now and I realised that she smelled like freesias or lavender, but without the usual appeal of human blood.

Her body convulsed suddenly and she whimpered, trying to tug her hand from mine. She twisted in her attempt to escape and I worried that she would hurt herself if she wasn't careful. "Shh," I tried to soothe her, letting go of her hand and bringing mine up to stroke her hair as I started humming. She shook as she let me comfort her, but at least she was no longer thrashing.

She locked onto my eyes and went into the same trance as before, her body slumping into the mattress as her eyes glazed. I noticed that the blanket had fallen from her and I reached over her, still singing quietly and keeping eye contact, to pull it around her again.

While she was entranced, I carefully took her thin wrist into my hand and traced the outskirt of the stark white bandage there, hiding the evidence of whatever abuse she had faced.

I didn't realised I had stopped humming until her fingers flexed, curling loosely into a fist. The movement made me look up and I blinked, startled. She was pleading with her eyes as she gave a tug on her hand and shook her head, repeating the actions twice before I understood.

She was telling me, in her own way, to let her go. I willingly obliged and she slowly took her hand back, returning it to her cocoon of protection and out of my reach. I was shocked and excited at the same time at her small attempt at communication, even if it was just to tell me to let go.

Her small smile of gratification didn't last long, but it was definitely there and I automatically smiled in response. I didn't try to touch her again at the moment, respecting her space for the moment.

I heard the front door open and close, announcing the arrival of my sister, Alice, and closely followed by her thoughts shouting at me. _Edward, I'm home,_ she screamed and I winced.

"I know you're home, Alice, you didn't have to shout," I muttered grumpily, unhappy that my time with the angel was being disturbed. The girl in question looked at me in confusion, her nose scrunched in an adorable way. "My sister," I said by way of explanation.

Alice giggled at my obvious frustration and I fought the urge to growl, not wanting to scare the girl. "What do you want, Alice?" I asked, scowling. _We need to talk,_ she thought. I sighed exasperatedly. Couldn't this wait till later? I thought. But I knew better than to cross Alice. "Fine," I mumbled.

When I went to apologise to the girl, she yawned again and I could see her small, pink tongue curling at the end in a way that made her look very cute and somehow, much younger. Her eyes were already shut when she finished and she was drifting off to slumber.

I smiled at her endearingly, before lightly brushing her hair back. She growled quietly, half asleep. "Shh, Angel, just go to sleep. You're okay," I quietened her. She settled again and I quietly left, shutting the door to block out the rest of the house.

**A/N:** I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story **GENTLE TOUCHES** is the very same as author **ANIMAL8. **As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that **ANIMAL8 **had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to **ANIMAL8** page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as **ANIMAL8** and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of **GENTLE TOUCHES**.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

**Gentle Touches**

Chapter 9 – Inspiration (EPOV)

I waited until I was down the stairs before I started talking, hoping not to disturb the rest the girl was in need of. "Okay, Alice, what do you want to talk about?" I asked, scowling slightly in her direction, where she stood holding the bags she had obviously brought back from the mall, "And why couldn't this wait until later?"

She rolled her eyes at me, sighing dramatically. "I wanted to ask you what I should do with the clothes," she said, raising one eyebrow at me in questioned, her lips pursed.

My brow furrowed as I tried to work out why she was asking me when usually she would just do her own thing. I came up with nothing, so I asked her. "Why are you asking me?"

"You're right," she chirped brightly, "I already know what I'm going to do with them; I just thought it would be polite to ask you." I closed my eyes, my finger pinching at the bridge of my nose. She continued as if she hadn't noticed. "So, I'm going to be moving all of your clothes into your new room and putting all of the girl's clothes into your old closet."

"What?" My eyes snapped open and I gaped at her. She stared at me. I was slightly annoyed at her for controlling this decision, but even I had to admit it was the most reasonable arrangement. "Fine," I sighed.

"I knew you would agree," Alice said smugly.

I glared at her. "It wasn't as if you gave me much of a choice," I grumbled back. My look softened, though, as I remembered that this was for the girl, my angel. I frowned as I realised that Alice might have left a sore impression on the girl during their last encounter and that made me unsure how she would respond if Alice went into her room.

Alice looked at me like she knew what I was thinking. "Don't worry, I'll wait until later when she's properly asleep," she assured me with a smile.

"Thank you," I answered genuinely.

"You're welcome," she replied, grinning broadly. Her eyes blanked out as she slipped into a vision, my mind being caught by the familiar sight of the angel. She was lying on the bed with me by her side, staring into my eyes as I stroked her hair. I noticed the dazed look in her eye and realised that I must be humming to her again.

The vision ended, leaving Alice with a confused yet curious look in her eyes as she looked at me. I shook my head, silently telling her that I didn't know what her vision was about, and she narrowed her eyes at me with a disapproving scowl on her face. She knew I was lying but she didn't press for more, probably knowing that I wouldn't answer her anyway.

She squealed suddenly, distracted from her previous game of glaring at me. "Jasper's going to be home soon," she yelled, excited. I rolled my eyes at her, but my lips twitched into a smile at her behaviour.

"Shut up, pixie," Emmett teased, leaning around the arm of the chair to watch Alice, who merely stuck her tongue out at him. He chuckled lightly and turned back to the television.

The door opened then and Alice blurred past me as she leapt at her mate. "Jasper," she squealed, her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He smiled at her indulgently as he bent to peck her on the lips.

"I'm glad to see you too, darlin'," he said in his southern accent, supporting her with his arms around her body. "Hello, Edward," he looked up at me with a calming smile and I nodded back, returning the sentiment. _How is the girl?_ He thought.

I shrugged, not really having an exact answer for him. "She seems to be alright," I said, reflecting on my observations of her, "She's still scared, I think. But sometimes she's alright now with me touching her, and I think she can communicate if she wants."

He looked surprised by that. "How do you mean?" He frowned questioningly.

"I was holding her hand and she basically acted out by pulling her hand and shaking her head that she wanted me to let go of her," I informed him, remembering the incident. I smiled again at the thought of having some message from the girl.

"Interesting," Jasper murmured, "She is intelligent then, like we thought." He raised an eyebrow at me and I nodded, Alice backing me up in affirmation.

We stayed in silence and I listened to their thoughts curiously. _I wonder what else she is capable of. When she is up to it, we should definitely see if we can test her to find out,_ Jasper was thinking logically as always, but I frowned at him. She wasn't a test subject; she was a poor girl who needed our help.

_This is going to be so exciting! I just know she's going to get better and then I can have a new sister who'll let me dress her up! _Alice's thoughts were typical and I quickly skipped them, though I did wonder if the girl would be as willing as she seemed to think.

Emmett only had attention for the game he was currently playing so I ignored him as well. Carlisle, though, having caught our conversation, was thinking about ways to encourage her to communicate more and coming up with theories on how to do it.

"I wouldn't bother, Carlisle," Alice said, surprising both him and me. I turned to her in question. "She'll talk in her own time," she answered the unspoken question, finally letting go of Jasper and standing next to him.

Carlisle appeared at the top of the stairs and stared at my sister inquisitively. "Have you seen something, Alice?" He queried.

She shook her head, denying. "I haven't seen much," she hedged. I glared at her, having a feeling she was keeping something from me. "I haven't," she said more forcefully. Jasper sent a wave of calm, trying to diffuse my aggravation and sending me a sharp glance.

"Okay, Alice," Carlisle placated, smiling appealingly at her, "You don't need to get worked up."

"I'm not," she huffed, crossing her arms. Jasper responded by rubbing his hand soothingly on her shoulder and whispering comfortingly to her. She smiled up at him gratefully and then turned to me. "You can go back to her now," she said with a knowing smile.

Part of me, a small part, wanted to wipe the smirk off her face, but it was quickly drowned out by the much larger part that was more interested in getting back to the girl than getting revenge on my sister. I nodded shortly to everyone and raced up the stairs, barely remembering to slow down before entering the room.

I let out a sigh when I saw her, still laying where I had left her with her eyes closed and her breathing peaceful. I would have thought she was asleep if it wasn't for the fact that she still growled at me when I opened the door. "Hey," I said soothingly as I slowly walked closer.

Her eyes opened and she growled louder, curling herself defensively. I paused and observed her momentarily, as she lay there looking scared, and a flash of guilt crept up on me. I knew I shouldn't have pushed her boundary by holding her wrist, but she had been responding so encouragingly and I had selfishly wanted to try. Her expression showed her uncertainty and she was obviously wary of me. I frowned sorrowfully as my eyes flashed around my room, searching for something, anything, which might be useful.

They finally landed on my high tech stereo system and an idea formed. I wandered over to my shelf of CDs and picked one from its place: a compilation of Debussy's greatest pieces. I was running off of the hope that if she liked Claire De Lune and it soothed her then maybe the same might hold true for other songs of the like.

The first notes of Claire De Lune came through the speakers as I turned back to where the girl lay on the bed. She was watching me calmly and when I approached she showed no response other than her eyes following me as I went.

She only tensed slightly as I stretched out beside her, but remained quiet. "It's okay," I whispered. I lay there just listening to the notes of the piano filling the room with sound and my eyes travelled over the girl's slim body. With the blanket covering her I couldn't see the weight loss or the way her ribs protruded from her skin or the bruises that coated her, but I knew they were there. The blankets didn't change that.

Carlisle hadn't been able to look at her since she was brought into this room so we had no idea how she was healing or if she was at all. I hoped sincerely that she was and wondered if she felt any pain from her afflictions.

I focused on her face again and she blinked back at me. I stroked back a lock of hair from her face and she flinched almost imperceptibly. "You're alright, Angel," I repeated softly, my fingers running through her smooth hair. Her mouth opened slightly and the soft exhalation of her breath increased her scent in the air around us. I barely noticed it, only enough to admire her fragrance while the burn was nonexistent.

"I really like this type of music," I stated casually. "Any kind of classical music, or music from the fifties I like. Much better than the sixties or seventies," I scrunched my nose in disgust, "The eighties were bearable."

The familiar spark of interest ignited in her warm brown eyes as she focused intently on me. I smiled lightly as I moved my hand tentatively down, across her cheek, to brush the back of my hand along the length of her neck. She stiffened at first, but quickly relaxed as I began humming to the melody from the speakers.

I felt delighted. Finally, I had started to gain this girl's trust. Obviously, I knew I still had a long way to go yet; she hadn't spoken a word so far and while she trusted me to an extent, she clearly still didn't trust me fully. But it was good enough for now.

My fingers rested on her pulse point, feeling the blood pulsing under the thin membrane of pale, nearly translucent, skin. It looked almost like porcelain, I mused, so fragile and breakable and at the same time so beautiful.

She growled under her breath as I traced the carotid artery, the vibrations reverberated in my fingertips. "Shh," I hushed her gently. She didn't make any more noise and I returned my hand to her cheek, lightly caressing her soft face.

Her arm lay between us on the bed, but I made sure to stay away from it, not wanting to stress her further by having a repeat of last time. My mind was whirring with the contact and as I stared into her eyes, suddenly other notes were playing, these ones inside my head. The melody flowed, in some places not sounding quite right as my mind constantly made adjustments and improvements.

The song played over in my head, becoming more and more complex as I added to it. My fingers twitched and ached, the irresistible urge to play increasing. I blinked and focused back on her, her soft eyes watching me curiously.

I smiled, unable to escape the rejuvenating feeling of my inspiration. Somehow, I knew it was because of the beautiful angel lying in front of me, that she was the root to the sudden appearance of the new song.

I realised, abruptly, that it was getting late now; the sun had already set outside, casting the horizon into deep shades of pink and orange. The girl's eyes were heavy lidded as she struggled to keep them open. I traced one finger over the faint shadow beneath her eye and she flinched, with a slight whimper.

"It's okay," I murmured reassuringly. I started humming again as a new song came over the stereo. "Go to sleep," I told her as I swept her hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

Moving slowly, I slipped off of the bed and walked to the sound system, intending to turn it off, when I heard a noise of protest from behind me. Startled, I turned to see the girl staring at me, eyes wide in surprise as if she couldn't believe what she had done. I stared back, wondering what was wrong. It took me a minute to figure it out and then I smiled. Instead of turning it off completely, I lowered the volume, hoping not to disturb her if she wanted to sleep.

Nodding to myself, I moved back to her. "I'll leave it on, Angel," I said softly, lightly touching her jaw with two of my fingers. Her mouth lifted at the corner in a small semblance of a smile.

"Sleep well," I whispered. I left her room quietly, heading downstairs to my piano.

**A/N:** I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story **GENTLE TOUCHES** is the very same as author **ANIMAL8. **As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that **ANIMAL8 **had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to **ANIMAL8** page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as **ANIMAL8** and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of **GENTLE TOUCHES**.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

**Gentle Touches**

Chapter 10 – Trust in Alice (EPOV)

Downstairs, I could hear Esme bustling around, cleaning and sorting various things that she thought needed her attention. I found Alice and Jasper curled up together in one of the loveseats in the main room. There was no sign of Emmett or Rosalie, but I knew that Carlisle had headed into the hospital for a late shift.

Alice smirked at me as I entered, translating the entire dictionary first into Latin and then Japanese in her head. I scowled at her, knowing that she was hiding something from me. She wouldn't tell me anything if I asked, though, so instead I asked, "Where are Emmett and Rose?"

Her smirk grew as she pointed out of the back glass wall. I caught Jasper's grimace and didn't need to ask as I found both of their thoughts and realised what they were doing. I shuddered, doing my best to remove the images from my mind. Alice snickered.

"Sorry I asked," I murmured wryly. Jasper chuckled at my discomfort. "Do you know when Carlisle will be back?" I asked Alice.

She nodded. "Of course; he'll be back late tomorrow," she told me, "He was going to try and get home for the morning, but there'll be a major car accident and he'll decide to stay and help out."

I smiled and nodded thoughtfully. It wasn't unusual for our father to stay long after his normal shift had finished if someone was in need of his help. Because of our extra abilities, he was better than any human surgeon could be, performing more precise or intricate procedures with ease. He liked that he could save people who wouldn't ordinarily live if left in the hands of humans; it gave him purpose.

"He's going to ask you to assist him in checking the girl," Alice warned me, "Though it will have to wait for the morning after, so you have some time with her before then."

I frowned, remembering the previous time when Carlisle had checked her. She had been terrified and she hadn't trusted any of us. But she trusted me now, or at least more so than she did then. Would that make a difference, make it easier? I wanted to be able to help her, even if it was just keeping her calm while Carlisle looked at her.

I nodded my thanks for the warning and wandered over to my piano. It had been a while since I had created something new and I was especially eager to see how this one would play out. If what I had thought of so far was any indication, it would be one of my better pieces and certainly a lot happier than my usual work.

Tentatively, I played the first few notes that came to my mind, listening to how they sounded. I shook my head and moved up an octave, repeating the pattern of keys. I smiled, satisfied, and continued to play the notes that followed, adding my other hand for accompaniment.

It went like this, slowly adding more notes, changing others that I didn't think quite fitted properly and shifting chunks of the melody to places better suited for them. I was so consumed by the soft, flowing rhythm of the song as it came to life under my fingers that I was startled from it when I tried to compose the closing bars.

For some reason, it didn't sound right and no matter what I tried, it refused to work. After the third time of playing it, I sighed and placed my hands in my lap, staring hard at the black and white keys in front of me.

"That was lovely, Edward," Esme voice sounded choked with pride and I turned to look at her. "What inspired it? It's been so long since I've heard you play something new. Does it have a name?" She asked curiously.

I hesitated in answering. "It's a lullaby," I finally said, "It doesn't really have a name yet." I purposefully avoided answering her first question. Alice sent me a knowing look, but I ignored her.

She placed a motherly hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. "It was beautiful," she whispered, still tearful. I shuffled awkwardly, feeling almost embarrassed by her praise and attention.

"It was," Alice agreed, smiling brightly. Jasper nodded as well and I rolled my eyes at them.

I frowned disappointedly down at the instrument. "I can't find a way to finish it," I murmured, the frustration clear in my tone, "The end just doesn't work properly, it doesn't flow like the rest of it.

"Oh, Edward," Esme said comfortingly, wrapping her arms around my shoulders tightly, "I'm sure it will come to you. Sometimes you have to struggle for something good, but the result is always worth the effort."

My lips lifted into a smile as I thought about it. It would definitely be worth it in the end to have this song finished. I nodded and raised my fingers to start playing the song again. My eyes closed and I found myself imagining what it would be like to play this for the mysterious girl living in my room.

I could almost see the exact way her soft, brown eyes would light up as they had when she listened to me as I sang her into a trance. Her lips would part slightly as she stared in awe. I imagined the feel of her warm body sitting close to me and the sound of her heart beating strongly in her chest.

_Whoa,_ Jasper's thoughts broke through my concentration. _Where are all these emotions coming from, Edward?_ He asked, _so much love and happiness. What were you thinking about just then, while you were playing?_

I shook my head, denying what he was telling me. There was no way I could love this girl. Not in that way, at least. I cared about her and wanted to help her, but I didn't love her; I couldn't.

_Denial, Edward?_ Alice thought smugly. I shot her a look and shook my head again.

Esme was looking questioningly between us, a slight smile still on her face, but she didn't ask anything. I smiled at her as I turned back to the piano and began playing her song again, my fingers easily remembering the familiar melody.

"Play something fun, Edward," Alice whined childishly, showing her infamous pout to try and persuade me. I chuckled lightly, not looking up at her as I gracefully changed into a jazz song with a much more bouncy rhythm, grateful for the change in conversation. She squealed excitedly as she tugged on Jasper's hand.

He followed her, smiling amusedly as she encouraged him to dance along to the perky tune. I watched them happily, not needing to pay attention to my playing as my enhanced senses allowed me to continue uninterrupted.

Alice flitted around Jasper, looking every bit the tiny fairy dancer that she resembled. I chuckled a bit at the mental image. It was nice to see my siblings having fun as Esme and I watched from the sidelines. Rosalie and Emmett came back in and Emmett laughed at the sight of the pixie dancing with someone over a head taller than her.

_You seem in a good mood,_ he noted silently. I shrugged at him, not denying it. I was in a good mood, for once, and it was because of the beautiful angel upstairs. Despite my worrying for her condition, I was happy that she was here and that I could spend time with her. And right now, this was an excellent way to distract me from my obsessive worrying.

As the song came to a close and Jasper drew back to lean down and politely kiss Alice's hand, she blanked out in a vision. Immediately, I tried to read her mind and see what it was about, but then frowned as I realised she was blocking me again, singing pop tunes in her head.

I waited for her to come around and when she did she was grinning wildly, obviously pleased with whatever she saw. "Alice?" Jasper asked quietly, ducking his head to look her in the eyes, "What did you see?"

She waved her hand dismissively, not looking at me. "Oh, there's a massive summer sale going on at one of the malls in Seattle in a few weeks," she said flippantly, "There'll be loads of my favourite stylists there as well to show off their work."

I stared at her suspiciously, knowing she wasn't telling the truth. If it was a sale that she saw then she would have no reason to be blocking me. Jasper seemed to tell she was lying as well, with the help of his ability, but he didn't say anything, though he felt hurt that she wouldn't tell him what she saw. They told each other everything and it was very rare for her to keep something from him. He trusted her judgment, though, and knew she would tell him when she was ready.

But I wasn't happy with that. I wanted to know what she was hiding and now. Jasper, feeling my impatience, shot me a warning look. _She doesn't have to tell you anything she doesn't want to,_ he told me, staring at me darkly. I nodded reluctantly, sighing.

"I'm going to put those clothes away in the girl's bedroom now," she added brightly, ignoring the silent conflict between me and her mate, "She should be asleep until morning, so it will be safe." She looked at me as she said that last part and I smiled gratefully. The girl needed all the sleep she could get; she still had no strength.

Alice disappeared upstairs and we could hear her gathering bags from her room and transferring them to where the girl was staying. I shook my head at her exuberance and shared an amused look with Jasper. "She really cares for that girl," he said by explanation. And it was clear she did. I saw that a lot of the clothes she bought were comfortable, nothing too flashy. They were the kind of things I could imagine the girl would be happy to wear.

"Yeah," I said in agreement, smiling fondly in the direction she had disappeared in. I hoped that Alice wouldn't overwhelm the girl too much with her love, or rather obsession, with fashion and clothes. But I could already tell that she saw the girl as a new sister, no doubt partly a result from whatever visions she had been hiding from me.

Emmett was looking between us, curiously, his interest in the strange girl showing through. Rosalie, however, was pointedly ignoring any conversation involving the girl she hadn't wanted to stay. She was still sour that her opinion had been disregarded and she was allowed to stay anyway. I didn't care how she felt, though, because nothing would stop me insuring that the angel could live here.

I started playing her lullaby again, concentrating on places where it didn't work as well and trying to figure something out that would work better. "Something new, Edward?" Emmett asked with interest.

I glanced up at him and nodded. "Just...something I'm working on," I mumbled, frowning intensely as I repeated the last bars I had managed to play. After another few attempts, I sighed and gave up again.

_Stuck, bro?_ Emmett raised an eyebrow in question, noting the times I had replayed the same part. I grimaced at him. _Shame, that sucks,_ he said sympathetically. He had no idea. I really wanted to get this finished, but my experience in composing told me that I shouldn't force it. It would come to me on its own accord.

Alice came back down, smiling and looking self satisfied. She waltzed over to me and sat on the edge of my piano seat. "I've put all of the clothes away, there's much less than I usually buy so hopefully she won't get lost in the closet," she rolled her eyes dramatically and smirked, "I turned the music off as well, she was fast asleep. You know, she looks really cute when she's sleeping, especially all curled up under the blankets like that."

I had to agree with her when I saw the image in her mind. The girl looked so innocent and vulnerable, just like a sleeping angel. Only her hair and face were visible from under the cover, the rest of her body tucked tightly together. She was also peaceful, which was a sharp contrast to her wary alertness while awake. I hoped to see her like that while awake, and soon. I could feel my gaze soften as I looked at her image, but then it was marred by a concerned frown.

_Stop worrying, Edward, everything will be fine,_ Alice's voice echoed in my head. She gave me a small smile of assurance and winked. _Trust me…_

**A/N:** I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story **GENTLE TOUCHES** is the very same as author **ANIMAL8. **As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that **ANIMAL8 **had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to **ANIMAL8** page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as **ANIMAL8** and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of **GENTLE TOUCHES**.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

**Gentle Touches**

Chapter 11 – Stirrings (EPOV)

I waited until the next morning to see the girl again. Through the night, I had continued to play the lullaby over and over, experimenting with different endings, but still nothing fit. I was trying hard not to be frustrated, but the lack of progress was getting to me. Still, I knew it was still only early beginnings, after all it had taken me weeks or months to finish some of my other intricate pieces, and this had so much more meaning in its melody than the others. I wanted it to be perfect.

The rest of my family had eventually retreated to their own respective night time activities which meant that I was alone for the best part of the night. It suited me fine, though. The darkness was calming and helped me to concentrate. And despite not having any progression on the song, I was definitely relaxed now.

Just like with the girl, I needed to be patient. But despite the fact that I had all the time in the world, I was not often a patient person. When it came to her, though, I was willing to work on that. I couldn't afford to push her too soon and end up setting her back, or worse, driving her away from us completely. I didn't know what I would do if that was to happen, so I needed to have patience right now.

As the sun rose, I decided I couldn't wait anymore and quickly rushed to the room on the third floor with the girl. I opened the door quietly, hoping not to disturb her. She was lying still on the bed, exactly as Alice had seen last night, with her hands folded under her head as if she needed the extra support.

She probably found it comfortable, I mused, staring at her. I wondered how old this small human was. When we found her I had estimated that she was most likely about seventeen or eighteen, but seeing her like this she seemed like she could be a few years younger. It wasn't the first time I had thought this either.

I walked over to the couch on the other side of the room and lay down, gazing up at the ceiling. The room was silent except for the quiet sounds of the angel's breathing and the steady beating of her heart. Those two sounds together seemed to be their own form of music though, and just as soothing to me as Clair De Lune had been to her.

I closed my eyes, just listening as I allowed my mind to drift. I don't know how long I lay there in a state as close to sleep as I could possibly get, but I was suddenly roused by the sound of quiet shuffling from the bed.

My eyes flashed open and I looked warily in her direction. She had turned over onto her other side and was staring at me, her brown eyes wide and curious. I smiled at her as I sat up slowly, pushing myself into a standing position.

Carefully, I moved toward her, taking hesitant steps. She blinked at me as I perched on the edge of the bed facing her, but didn't flinch away. I noticed that the blanket had fallen to the side when she had turned, but she didn't seem like she needed it right now, so I left it where it was. My hand went to her face and gently swept her hair back, stroking my fingers through her long tresses.

She tensed at first, but then relaxed into my touch. "Hello, Angel," I whispered softly to her, my fingers still buried in her hair. Her eyes blinked again in response and I wondered if that was her way of greeting me. My mouth curved into a smile.

"Do you want me to put some music on?" I offered, hoping she would try to communicate again. Her expression was torn as she stared up at me and her teeth caught her lower lip in indecision, immediately drawing my attention to her mouth. Finally, she gave me the barest of nods, but it was enough for me. "Okay," I got up readily and moved to my stereo.

I noticed that Alice had left the CD out for me to use and I smiled at her thoughtfulness. The CD was in its case, so I removed it, placing it in the machine and setting it to play.

When I went back to the girl, I found that she had rolled over again, back to her original position, and was looking at me expectantly. Without pausing, I took my usual place stretched out beside her, but leaving some space in between us.

I moved my hand to her cheek and caressed it lightly, staring deep into her brown eyes. They were so much more open now, less wary and fearful. I hoped that meant she was learning to trust me.

She smiled shyly at me and closed her eyes as I moved my fingers into her hair, a soft sigh of contentment escaping her. To my delight, she leaned her head slightly into my palm. It was the first conscious response she had given me that she actually enjoyed the contact I was giving her, rather than just bearing it because she had no choice.

Strangely, I felt a fluttering sensation in my stomach, something like what I had heard the term 'butterflies' being described as and it made me pause. I knew I liked that she was accepting me, but it was more than that. I couldn't put my finger on it, though, but it was the greatest feeling I had ever experienced.

The smile on my face was unstoppable as I beamed down at her. She wasn't looking at me, though, her eyes still shut. My smile softened as I watched her. So beautiful, and so fragile, I thought. She should not have had to suffer.

I let my hand drift down to her shoulder, resting there as I rubbed her skin soothingly. She opened her eyes and stared at me curiously, but did not growl or flinch away as I had predicted. She just lay there and let me. I wondered, not for the first time, why the change in her actions.

She confused me. It seemed one moment, she was growling and warning me away, and then the next she was calm. Perhaps it was the music still playing quietly in the background. She had always been calm whenever I sang to her, so it was possible that it could be that. Either way, I was going to take advantage of it.

Slowly, my hand trailed down her arm, reaching a spot above her elbow. Her muscles tensed minutely and I paused to look up at her, but she showed no visible discomfort, so I continued. My hand travelled further and I hesitated when I reached her bandage, but then carefully traced my fingertips over it, barely brushing the protective material.

Her body quivered as I rested my fingers lightly on the back of her hand. I didn't make a grab to hold it this time. I was going to wait until she was ready. I waited and when she didn't pull away I began delicately stroking all over her hand and fingers, tracing slow, gentle pattern with my fingertips.

Again, I waited. I looked up at her and was surprised by the conflict in her gaze. I watched her closely, unsure, as I cautiously slipped my fingers into her palm, wrapping them loosely around her hand.

Amazingly, and much to my delight, she relaxed as soon as her hand was in mine. The same electricity flowed between our touching skins in an almost welcoming way. I watched our joined hands curiously and she watched with me.

I held her hand gently, using only the lightest of pressure, and stretched out her fingers, feeling the movement of her joints as the muscles flexed. Impulsively, I drew her hand closer to my lips and planted a soft, lingering kiss on the knuckles. My eyes closed as I did so, enjoying the warmth and scent of having her skin close to me.

She gasped slightly, but didn't show any other reaction, leaving me to hold her hand. Glancing up at her warily, I moved my lips up further and kissed her wrist over the bandage, being mindful of her injury.

Keeping her hand in mine, I lifted my head, laying it close to hers on the pillow, and watched her. She was staring at me with an expression I couldn't quite understand and, frustrated, I tried again to read her mind. It was still no use, though; her mind was just as silent as it was when I first found her.

Her eyes moved down to her hand, which I noticed I had been stroking absently with the pad of my thumb. Experimentally, she clenched her fingers around mine, though so weakly that there was barely any strength behind it. The simple movement ignited a stronger fire that flashed through my skin, burning but never painful.

I held my breath as I waited for it to pass, as it did after a moment. I turned her hand in mine, trying to figure out what I had experienced. Somehow, I knew there was something more to it than merely body heat, but I didn't understand my reaction. It felt as if I wanted, _needed_, more of the contact. But I shouldn't want that, I admonished myself. There was no way I would allow that. The girl needed to heal.

During my thoughts, I traced the patterns and lines on her palm, feeling the soft, cushioning skin. The angel had her eyes closed again, but a small crease in her brow and the tempo of her breathing told me she wasn't asleep.

Gently, I swapped her hand into my left one, so I could raise my right and brush her hair. She flinched a bit and her eyes flickered open. "Its okay, Angel," I whispered.

Because the blanket was still bundled up against her back, I had a clear view of the clothes Alice had dressed her in. The top had longish sleeves, so they covered most of her arms, minus where her wrists were bandaged, and it hung loosely around the rest of her torso.

I laid my hand on her side, curving it to the shape of her body. I could feel every one of her ribs as I brushed my fingers along her side. The prominence of them scared me, though I had already known she was underweight. She gave a hardly audible whimper, making me glance up.

She didn't do anything, just watching me with her hand still held in mine, so I went back to my exploration. I stroked my thumb over the ridges of her ribcage again and this time she tensed slightly.

I stared intently at my hand as I felt over her side, calculating how much weight she had lost. It was difficult to do not being able to see and the outline of her body shrouded with the baggy clothes. Had she been fed while she was held captive? How long had she been a held? I frowned as I wondered these things. We didn't even know where she came from. I was sure that there was someone out there who was worried about her disappearance, because she had to have come from somewhere.

My other hand rubbed her smaller one comfortingly as I contemplated. I could faintly here the CD playing in the background, but the sound was lost on me as I focused on other things. I was brought to awareness by the sharp sound of her yelping and I froze, startled, and looked up.

The girl's face was creased in pain and I panicked, thinking I had hurt her while I was distracted. I should have been more careful, paid attention to what I was doing, I berated myself. Quickly, my brain re-evaluated my hold on her and I relaxed as I realised that I had only applied the barest of pressure.

But that fuelled my concern. She was hurt and I had to do something. My hand stroked through her hair soothingly, begging her silently to open her eyes and look at me. "I'm sorry, Angel," I apologised, "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Her tiny hand squeezed mine lightly and I shook my head incredulously. _She_ was reassuring _me._ I was the one who had hurt her even though I hadn't actually inflicted any wound on her I had still caused her pain. Alice had said she was covered in bruises. I took my hand away from her face and clenched it in anger. Someone had hurt her badly and I wanted them to pay.

The feelings were new to me, but I already knew that I wanted to protect her, look after her. I was coming to believe that I could possibly do anything for her and that both frightened and thrilled me. I didn't understand the feelings she stirred in me.

The angel opened her brown eyes and gave me a small smile. And everything felt right as I smiled back at her, grasping her hand firmly in mine.

**A/N:** I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story **GENTLE TOUCHES** is the very same as author **ANIMAL8. **As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that **ANIMAL8 **had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to **ANIMAL8** page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as **ANIMAL8** and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of **GENTLE TOUCHES**.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

**Gentle Touches**

Chapter 12 – Beginnings of Trust (EPOV)

The girl was perfectly calm now, with no hint of any pain in her features. I was still worried, but I knew I had to wait for Carlisle to check her so I just worked on not showing my stress to the girl.

I held her hand in both of mine, stroking gently over every part in soothing motions. She didn't show any aversion to what I was doing as she lay there and watched me. Her deep brown eyes, I had noticed, could give me great insight into her that my ability could not. When she was not on the defensive, I could read a lot of emotions there that her face did not reveal.

We went so long in silence, the only sound being the soft tones from the speakers and our steady breathing, that I was surprised when she moved suddenly. Her free hand lifted tentatively towards our joined hands, her fingers outstretched toward my hand.

I stayed as still as a statue as I waited while she debated with herself. I could feel the heat of her warm palm on the back of my hand despite the distance that remained between us and I had to fight the urge to reach out to her hand. This had to be her decision, I thought.

Slowly, her hand lowered until the tips of her fingers pressed cautiously to my cold, marble skin, immediately igniting the electricity. Her hand stayed there and I looked up to take in her expression. She was staring at my hand as if she was analysing it. Maybe she was noting the differences in my cold, dead flesh compared to hers, vital and alive, or wondering about the strange spark that sprang to life each time we touched. I know that I was thinking of the latter.

I watched in amazement as she ran a hesitant finger over the back of my hand and along my fingers, trailing back and forth a few times in a similar way to what I had done to her. She did this several times before withdrawing from the contact and tucking her arm close to herself again.

Her touch left a trail of fire across my skin that tingled even now that the contact was removed. I pondered that briefly, as confused by this as I was by my own emotional response to her.

I smiled when I noticed the perplexed look on her face as she glanced between our separated hands. She looked rather cute when she was concentrating like that. I was immediately shocked by that thought. When did I start thinking things like that? I wondered.

She raised her gaze to meet mine and gave me another of her small, shaky smiles. But what made me smile in return was that, in her eyes, she actually looked _happy_, and seeing that made me exceptionally happy as well. It was as if my emotions always matched hers. If she was in pain, so was I, or if she was afraid then I wanted to comfort her and protect her.

I didn't know what to think of my reactions since the girl had come into my life. I had never felt this way towards anyone before, not even my own family. It was true that I loved my parents and my siblings and mostly we got along really well, but this just seemed different in a way that I couldn't explain.

I had never felt the need to protect someone as strongly as I did towards this girl and I didn't even know anything about her. But she was already becoming important to me, worming her way into a special place in my still heart. I wanted more than anything to help her, to see her get better again. I wanted to see her smile, hear her laugh, her voice.

She hadn't spoken a word since we had found her. We didn't actually know if she was capable of talking, but I was confident. I knew she could understand us, so it was likely that she could talk as well. She just needed time. And I wasn't going to rush her, despite my own selfish desires. I was just going to be there and support her where she needed it.

The quiet wasn't uncomfortable, rather the opposite. It was peaceful, comforting in a strange way. We both lay together silently, my hand still holding hers securely while her fingers wrapped lightly around my own. I watched her, fascinated, and found myself absorbed in my own little world, consisting only of this beautiful angel.

I was so distracted that I didn't hear Alice's thoughts as she approached the room until she was opening the door. The angel immediately tensed and started growling as she stared over my shoulder to where I could sense Alice standing.

"Shh," I hushed her gently, stroking her hair and humming softly, "It's okay, it's just Alice, my sister." I wondered if she remembered how my sister had washed and dressed her and how that would affect her reaction to her. She didn't seem to like her being close, though that was possibly because she wasn't as used to her as she was to me.

Alice came around behind me, hesitantly walking closer to us as she watched the girl cautiously. Before I could warn her not to, she sat down on the bed on the girl's other side, causing it to dip under her weight.

The girl whimpered slightly and shuffled closer to me. She was trembling again, I noted. It was a reaction I hadn't seen for a while, only this time it wasn't directed at me. I felt a swell of emotions in my heart that she was coming closer to me for protection, but I pushed it away. I had to focus on her now.

My hand went to her shoulder, rubbing it reassuringly. "Hey, you're fine," I murmured, encouraging her to look up at me. When she met my eyes, I gave her a smile, my fingers carefully squeezing on her shoulder. She blinked at me purposefully and relaxed. My smile widened. She trusted me, I thought, amazed.

I could make out some of Alice's thoughts turning over in her head as she observed my interaction with the girl. I waited for her to say something, knowing it wouldn't take long. I was right. "It's strange the way she responds to you," she mused quietly. Her hand reached out to touch her.

"Don't, Alice," I warned, nearly pleading as I looked worriedly at the girl under my hand. She ignored me and laid her palm next to mine, slightly lower on her arm. The girl flinched away at the new contact and her trembling increased as she glanced at me fearfully. I resumed massaging her shoulder, hoping to reassure her.

"She reacts so differently to each of our touches," she continued, "I guess that's because she trusts you more than me." Her words sent a thrill of pleasure through me, but I couldn't focus on that yet. I was thankful when she took her hand back, but the girl didn't settle.

It took me another minute of quiet soothing before she finally relaxed. She moved further away from Alice, consequently bringing her closer to me. I was relieved that she was okay, but now that my worry for her was out of the forefront of my mind I found myself annoyed at my sister's intrusion into our peace.

"Was there a particular purpose for your visit?" I asked her, trying and failing to not sound irritated. I was running out of patience for her.

She shrugged at me, her eyes remaining on the quiet girl. "I wanted to see her," she mumbled, trailing on in her thoughts, _she looks so vulnerable_. She shook her head and looked back to me. "Carlisle will be home soon and he'll want to talk to you," she told me.

I nodded but glanced anxiously down and met the two brown eyes of the girl. As if she could read my thoughts, Alice added, "I can stay with her." I sent her a wary look and she rolled her eyes. "I won't touch her or anything," she promised, "I'll just sit here and maybe talk to her a bit."

"She might like that," I said, smiling fondly at the angel. "Have you seen anything yet?" I asked Alice, returning my gaze to her.

She smiled sadly, but answered. "I keep getting flashes, but they're all different. Sometimes I see her better and she's up and moving around the house. But other times, she's just like this, lying here and not moving," she shook her head and frowned in frustration, "I don't know what to make of them and there's no way for me to place the timing, either, which complicates things."

At least she had seen that the girl could get better, I thought. That was something more than we had before. "Don't beat yourself up, Alice," I told my sister, "It's not your fault."

"I know," she sighed. Her eyes blanked out in a vision then, but before I could ask she was already talking to me. "Carlisle will be home in two minutes. Why don't you go wait for him in his study?" She suggested.

I heaved a sigh and reluctantly sat up. The girl's eyes followed me, suddenly frantic, and I reached out to soothe her. "It's okay, I'll be back soon," I murmured, brushing my hand along her cheek, "Alice will be here."

She glanced over at Alice and then back to me and blinked. I smiled at her and nodded, happy that she understood, but I knew she wasn't comfortable with the situation. "Look after her," I spoke to Alice, "Please."

"Of course I will, Edward," she said exasperated.

I chuckled at her reaction. "Thanks, Alice," I said amicably as I stood up, going over to the door. The last thing I saw as I left the room was the girl's worried brown eyes watching me intently as I walked away.

My heart panged and I had the brief urge to turn around and go back to her. I couldn't stand to leave her when she was like that. But I had to speak to Carlisle so I forced myself to walk down the hall and to his study, which I entered and took a seat to wait.

It didn't take long for Carlisle to find me, but I spent that time thinking about the girl. I couldn't help but wonder about what Alice had pointed out to me. Was it really possible that she already trusted me more than the others? It shouldn't have come as such a surprise considering that I spent much more time with her than the rest of my family had.

The door opened and my adoptive father came in, smiling when he noticed me seated opposite his desk. "Hello, Edward," he chuckled, "I'm assuming Alice told you I wanted to talk?"

I nodded my head and smiled ruefully. "You want to do another examination of the girl," I stated simply.

Carlisle looked at me seriously for a moment before moving to sit at his desk, resting his elbows on it and knitting his fingers in front of his face. "You know that we need to check her more thoroughly, Edward," he said, "The last time I looked at her was quick, just enough for me to get a basic evaluation of her condition. But now, she's been here a few days and I need to know more. Alice has said she's covered with bruises under her clothes which I find very worrying. I think it is necessary to do this now."

I sighed. I knew this as well and I had been worrying about her condition frequently. This way we could see if there was anything that needed serious attention and decide what else to do.

"I also want to see about getting her to eat something," he continued, "She hasn't eaten anything since she arrived here a few days ago and we have no idea how long ago before that she last ate. But we'll have to be slow. It may take us a while to convince her, but she trusts you, which is why I want you to be there."

"I will be," I promised. Nothing would make me leave her alone, especially when I knew that she wasn't going to like what had to be done. I just hoped it wouldn't set me back with her again.

Carlisle nodded gratefully, looking at me curiously. "Thank you, Edward. That's all I'm asking for," he said. "And, of course, you're medical experience will come in handy," he chuckled.

I gave him a small smile as I stood up. "We'll wait until tomorrow," he called after me, "I think it would be better then." I nodded once and returned to my old room, feeling the anticipation build in me as I got closer to being with the girl.

When I opened the door, I saw that Alice had taken my place, where the girl could clearly see her, and I saw that the girl was watching her warily as my sister talked to her in soft tones. The girl was the first one to look up at my entrance and she looked relieved to see me. I smiled.

"It will be fine, Edward," Alice assured me when she looked up. _She'll be fine,_ she added in her thoughts. I guessed she was talking about tomorrow and while I trusted her judgement, it didn't rid me of my worry. "I'll leave you to it," she looked down at the girl and then stood up and left shortly.

I watched the girl as she blinked at me and let out a yawn. I chuckled in amusement. "Why don't you go to sleep," I persuaded gently, stepping closer to her so I could sweep a hand through her hair.

She gave me a small nod, yawned once more, and closed her eyes tightly, slipping easily into sleep.

**A/N:** I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story **GENTLE TOUCHES** is the very same as author **ANIMAL8. **As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that **ANIMAL8 **had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to **ANIMAL8** page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as **ANIMAL8** and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of **GENTLE TOUCHES**.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

**Gentle Touches**

Chapter 13 – Examinations (EPOV)

The next morning, I was waiting anxiously for the girl to wake. Carlisle had decided to examine her in the room she was staying in instead of moving her to the medical room. He thought it would be less stressful for her, but I wasn't sure how much difference it would make overall. I did agree, though, that she would not like being picked up again, so this was the best option for us.

Alice had said she would be fine, but whether she meant with this examination or in the long run, I wasn't sure. I wanted to believe it was both, but I didn't know for certain. It didn't help that Alice's visions were still compromised.

I sat on the couch, watching the girl as she slept calmly on the bed, while trying not to think about what she would look like in a couple of hours. Her hair fell to the pillows around her head, making her seem even more like an angel.

I didn't have to wait long before she stirred and turned her head to blink at me. I smiled at her as I made my way around the bed to lie in my usual position. "Good morning, Angel," I greeted, giving her a slightly crooked smile.

She gave me a small, tremulous smile in return. I gazed at her tenderly as I stroked her cheek, admiring the way the muted light from the window shined on her pale skin, though it was not strong enough to make my own skin sparkle. It wasn't long before I was reminded by Carlisle's presence that we had something serious to do.

Reluctantly, I pulled my hand away causing her to look at me curiously. "Angel," I started hesitantly, my eyes tightening with anxiety, "We need to check you again; look at your arms and make sure you're alright." To demonstrate my point, I brushed a finger down her bandaged wrist.

Her eyes widened and I knew she understood. She snatched her arm back and continued staring at me, wide eyed in panic.

I hurried to try and comfort and reassure her, taking her hand delicately in mine and rubbing it gently. "We're not going to hurt you, I promise," I looked into her eyes sincerely. "We just need to make sure you're alright. I'll be there the whole time," I added.

She still looked worried, but gave me a tiny nod to show her assent. I flashed another small smile and spoke without turning away from her. "Carlisle," I called quietly, sitting up so I could help my father better.

Carlisle opened the door carefully and stepped inside. The girl's eyes fixed on him warily as he came to my side. I could hear her breathing picking up as she looked from Carlisle to me and back. "It's okay," I said softly, holding her hand and using my other to stroke her cheek.

_Edward,_ Carlisle thought, _can I come closer, do you think?_ I looked closely at the girl, examining her reactions. Cautiously, I nodded, keeping my eyes on her. He came closer to the end of the bed, watching her as I was.

I tried to keep her attention on me by turning her face so her eyes met mine. "Alright, I'm just going to look at your feet," Carlisle warned aloud, his tone quiet and calming.

She tensed slightly and looked frantically at me. "Shh," I hushed gently, "You're fine. It's okay, you're fine." I kept murmuring comfortingly to her as I caressed her face and ran my hand through her hair.

Carlisle lifted one of her bare feet into his hands and inspected it, running practised fingers over the grazes, now clearly visible without the dirt. _These seem to be fine,_ he thought to himself, _no signs of infection, good. Not sure about the rate of healing._

I didn't quite know what he meant by that last thought, but I refrained from asking right now. After he had examined both of her feet, he looked up at me with a grave expression. We both knew this would be the hardest part.

So far the girl had distracted herself by looking at me, but I didn't know what she would do if Carlisle were to try and hold her arms again. _Edward, can you hold her hand but raise her wrist so I can look at it? _He asked me. I nodded to him.

I already had one of her hands in one of mine, so I carefully moved it out from between us. Carlisle leaned over to undo the bandaging and the girl's heart started to pound in her chest. Her eyes flickered back and forth, from me to Carlisle, with a wild look glittering in their depths. She was close to losing her sense of reason to her panic, I noted.

My free hand went to the side of her head as she lifted it weakly to look at Carlisle. I held her carefully as I started humming and her eyes glazed as she stared at me. It calmed her for a minute, but as soon as Carlisle's hands touched her wrist, she broke out of it. I tried to soothe her quickly.

"Just relax," I whispered before she could panic, "Look at me. It will be over soon, we just need to make sure you're okay." She listened to me and did as I said, but I could see the struggle inside her and the way her eyes still darted to my father every few seconds.

I listened in to Carlisle's monologue as he worked, being careful not to touch her any more than necessary. _This still looks really bad, I thought it would have started to heal by now, but it doesn't look like it has._ He frowned. _There's no infection, though. I can't see a reason why it wouldn't be healing._ That worried me. She wasn't healing? I thought. Why not? And most important of all, what did that mean for the girl?

After he had thoroughly examined the injury, he wrapped it tightly in a clean bandage and let me take it away. Once I had let go, the girl looked relieved as she pulled her arm close to her. I smiled and rubbed her arm lightly, before taking her other hand and repeating.

I watched the girl, looking down on her as she stared up at me, and I felt my heart swell with tenderness towards her. She looked so vulnerable, trembling with her eyes filled with fear, though at the same time I noticed that she looked so beautiful.

Carlisle stepped back as he released her wrist and she gladly took it back when I let go. Before he said anything, I remembered something that had concerned me. "Carlisle, her ribs were bothering her," I said, frowning in worry.

He glanced at me and nodded. _Alright, _he thought._ You know that I'm going to need to turn her over?_ I pressed my lips together into a tight line and gave him a short nod. I knew that he would need me to hold her down again and I knew I wouldn't like how she would react. _Okay._

Regretfully, I placed my hands on her shoulders to slowly and gently turn her over. She bucked under my hands, pushing her back off the bed as she resisted the change in position. I rubbed her arm soothingly, whispering softly to her.

"Alright, sweetheart," Carlisle murmured, sitting himself on the edge of the bed opposite me. "Can I take a look?" He gestured to her top.

She looked at him and then turned to me, desperation marring her features. "It's okay," I whispered, leaning forward so my face was aligned with hers. "I'm not going to let him hurt you." Her eyes searched my face for a long moment. And then she blinked.

I inclined my head slightly to Carlisle and his expert fingers, tugged at the hem of her shirt, lifting it. I sucked in a sharp breath as her skin was exposed. A dark bruise coated her front, over her abdomen and ribs.

Carlisle's thoughts were astounded at the amount of bruising and disgusted with whoever could do this to such a young girl. With the flat of his hand, he carefully applied pressure to the worst of the area. _There isn't any internal bleeding, thank goodness, but I'm surprised she didn't complain about this before,_ he looked up at her, scrutinizing her face, _not that she's done _any_ complaining._

Satisfied with that, he prodded at her ribs, checking for any broken bones or fractures. _Her ribs are completely fine, so it's just the bruising,_ he concluded. I let out a breath of relief I hadn't known I was holding.

"I think that's all," Carlisle spoke, smiling at the girl who just stared up at him. She glanced back to me as I turned her onto her side and lay down beside her, but as soon as she was on her side, she turned her head into the pillows, away from me, and her body started trembling lightly. I frowned sorrowfully at her.

Carlisle stood to leave, but froze as something caught his attention. Slowly, he stretched a hand out to her back and pulled up her shirt again, his breath leaving his lungs in a whoosh. _My, God,_ he thought, shocked

I stared at him inquisitively, wondering what was wrong, but then I saw in his mind exactly what he had seen and my fists clenched hard enough for the tendons to stand out white against my already pale skin. All across her back were painful looking bruises, but not only that, there were small gashes where the skin had split open, leaving it raw. It was Carlisle who spotted the resemblance.

_These are boot prints,_ he thought, horrified. With one hand, he touched the outline of the sole of a boot that was clearly visible, imprinted on her back, not paying attention when she flinched away from him. Someone had done this to her. Someone had hurt her. Of course, I knew she had been mistreated by whoever had held her, but finding more evidence caused an inexplicable agony to resonate within me.

A low growl rumbled in my chest, but cut off abruptly as the girl whimpered into the pillow. I was angry, but more than that, I was protective. At the moment, all I wanted was to pull this precious girl into my arms and hold her safe.

I still didn't understand these feelings, but I didn't push them back this time. My hand stroked her hair soothingly, begging her silently to show me her brown orbs. She didn't look up as Carlisle lowered her top back into place and stood away from her. _Look after her, son,_ he said to me as he quietly left the room, leaving her in my care. _She obviously needs you more than me right now._

"Angel," I whispered. She whimpered again in response, but didn't lift her head from her hiding place. "I'm sorry," I mumbled pathetically, my hand still rhythmically flowing through her hair. I felt guilty for putting her through that, knowing she wouldn't like it, but I was doing what was best. She needed help and I was getting it to her, however she might see it.

My apology seemed to have some effect on her, though, as she finally looked up at me with confusion evident across her face. She blinked at me and I smiled slightly. "Are you alright?" I asked, concerned.

She seemed surprised by my question which was perhaps why she answered immediately with a simple nod. I sighed in relief and reached to take her hand, silently asking permission with my eyes. With her small hand back in mine she relaxed, but minute tremors continued to run through her.

As her brown eyes stared at me I was reminded of the song those eyes had inspired and I smiled at the memory. Softly, I began humming the familiar melody, though incomplete it still held the meaning behind its creation and the pattern of calm that it painted I hoped would soothe her.

Her eyes were fixed on me as I sang quietly to her, my fingers stroking softly through her hair. It still amazed me how she seemed to be so entranced every time I did this. Her hand was warm in mine and her skin soft to the touch. 

As her eyes began to droop, I knew I should leave to let her rest in peace, but I couldn't resist staying a little longer to see what would happen. As I continued to hum her lullaby to her, she closed her eyes and sighed softly. It was sign of her increasing trust in me that she was allowing me to get close to her and I couldn't prevent the jubilant smile from spreading onto my face. Soon, her breathing evened out and she was fast asleep. 

I stared at her in wonder. She had allowed me to sing her to sleep, I thought, amazed. I was delighted by this progress and the growing connection between us.

The door opened and I knew from their thoughts who had just entered, but it was the last person I would have expected.

**A/N:** I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story **GENTLE TOUCHES** is the very same as author **ANIMAL8. **As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that **ANIMAL8 **had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to **ANIMAL8** page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as **ANIMAL8** and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of **GENTLE TOUCHES**.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

**Gentle Touches**

Chapter 14 – Turnabout (RPOV)

I stood outside the room after Carlisle had left. I didn't want to admit it, but I was curious about the girl, which was unusual for my usually cold front towards others. But there was something about her, possibly how innocent and childlike she seemed, that drew me to her.

She seemed just like a lost and frightened child and I swore that if I ever found out who had hurt her, they would regret ever laying a hand on her. The others didn't know how I felt about her, except maybe Edward, and I wanted to keep it that way for now. I knew Edward would never reveal my private thoughts, so I wasn't worried about that ever happening.

But I couldn't help wanting to see her again. I hadn't seen anything of her other than the brief glimpse I caught as Edward carried her into the house with Emmett and Jasper following behind. Of course, Emmett had told me about how they found her. Even if he thought I wasn't interested, he could never resist telling me something like this and for once I was glad of it. I wanted to know about this girl.

The poor girl had been a mess when we first saw her, but I had nothing to compare it to now in my own mind. The only information I had to go by was what Edward, Alice and Carlisle had told us, seeing as no one else had seen her. They didn't think she would take to having others around her so soon.

Which is why I was waiting outside the room and listening as Edward hummed the tune I recognised from the piano piece he had been composing. I smirked as I realised that she must have been the inspiration for it. He was already very attached to her, and though I was curious of the girl, this realisation made me nervous. If something happened to her, or if she had to leave, then what would happen to him?

It was inevitable that she would leave eventually. She probably had a family out there who were worried sick about her, and as soon as she was better she would have to return to them. And even if she didn't, we were vampires so it wasn't safe for her to live with us. Not forgetting that, with her being human, she would age and die while we remained.

At least we didn't have to think about that just yet. The girl was still in poor shape and needed a lot of help, and as much as I disagreed at first, I knew that Carlisle was the best at what he did. If anyone could help her, it was him.

I waited a moment longer, until I was sure the girl was asleep, before gripping the door handle firmly and turning it. When I was inside, I took in the sight of Edward lying on the bed with the girl curled up, eyes closed and peacefully asleep.

The door closed quietly behind me, but Edward didn't look up. I was certain that he knew I was here, but I didn't mind the lack of acknowledgement to my arrival. It gave me the opportunity to observe the girl I had been fighting myself about seeing.

I stood to the side of the room, facing the end of the bed, so I had a perfect view of how close Edward and the girl were lying and how his hand held hers delicately, as if he was afraid he would break it. It was unusual for him, but I could see how much he cared for her; more than I had thought possible, in fact.

Edward watched the girl carefully for a moment and then slowly leaned over her to grab the blue blanket Esme had given him to take to her. Gently, he spread it out over her, making sure she was covered and even tucking it in around her. I stared, fascinated, at the apparent caring and tenderness in his interaction with her.

The girl stirred in her sleep and one of her arms moved up until her hand could grip the top edge of the blanket tightly in her fist. Edward smiled tenderly down at her, his eyes brimming with emotion as his hand softly stroked her cheek with a gentle caress.

I don't think I had ever seen Edward as sensitive to someone else as he was to this unknown girl, not even with his own family. He had been alone for the last ninety years of his life and now it seemed like he could finally be truly happy. And I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

Don't get me wrong, I was happy for my brother. But she was a human. Eventually, complications would arise. Most likely from the Volturi if she was to remain with us, for she would certainly have to be told of our secret. Of course, we could always change her... I cut that thought off. I wasn't ready to accept her into the family yet and we had other problems to deal with now, like getting her better and finding her real family. Besides, she should be allowed to live a normal human life, to find a husband and have children and grow old and eventually die. That was the way of things.

I brushed my concerns off for now and continued watching Edward with the girl. As he stared at her, I decided it was time that I say something. "You care for her," I spoke as a statement. I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it from him.

"I do," my brother said softly, brushing a lock of brown hair back from her face, "I just want to see her get better."

"Don't we all," I muttered under my breath. He could hear me well enough, obviously, but he didn't comment on my remark. Either he wasn't going to waste the time to make a snarky come back, or he heard something from my mind that assuaged him. Both were likely possibilities.

I turned to the girl again, noting how, despite the rest, she still looked exhausted. Her cheeks were drawn, dark circles resided under her eyes and her skin was pale and translucent. Not as pale as us, but still pale for a human. And I saw the state of her body before Edward had placed the blanket over her. She was underweight as well, but I had no idea how bad it was.

Edward sighed sadly at my observation. I could almost feel the helplessness radiating off of him and I sought a different line of conversation as a distraction. _Emmett would be so jealous of me right now,_ I thought, smirking.

It worked and he looked up at me questioningly. I gave him a small smile as I explained. "He's been dying to see the girl again, but Alice and Carlisle keep telling him no. He hasn't stopped complaining all the time you've been up here," I said quietly. I smiled slightly, remembering his annoying whining. I knew it was only because he cared for her, though, so I couldn't complain. Emmett wanted to protect her and take her under his wing, as much as the rest of the family seemed to.

He laughed lightly and glanced down at the girl, thoughtfully. "I wonder what she'll think of him," he mused, "She'll probably be terrified of his size at first. Anyone would be. But he can be such a softie and he has his blunt way of easing the tension of any situation. It would be interesting, in the least. I don't know how she would react."

He was most likely right. But my husband had already taken this girl to his heart and I knew if he ever hurt her then it wouldn't be intentional. He might even be some good to her. Part of me really hoped so.

"Carlisle wanted to call another meeting," I said, suddenly remembering what he'd said on the stairs as he passed me. "He wants to discuss her condition and what he wants to do now. He told me to bring you down once you'd gotten her settled," I nodded my head to the girl.

Edward nodded in acceptance, but he gazed longingly down at the small, sleeping girl tucked up in her ball beside him. _She'll be fine, Edward,_ I thought to him, understanding that he didn't want to leave her alone. _She's asleep for now and I'm sure she can rest more peacefully if we aren't here to bother her._

He sighed, but nodded again as he gingerly moved off the bed, careful not to jostle her sleeping form. I left the room, knowing that he would follow and not wanting to intrude when I sensed that he wanted privacy. I may be a bitch sometimes, but I wasn't oblivious and I could take care of others' needs when I wanted, I thought to myself as I walked down to meet the rest of the family.

(EPOV)

I lingered by the girl as Rosalie left the room. To say I had been surprised by her visit was an understatement, but her thoughts showed me that despite her reservations she was starting to care for her as we all were. Though I doubted she would admit it to any of the others just yet.

I was hesitant to leave the girl, even though I knew that Rosalie was right and she would still be safe and asleep without me there. It just didn't feel right for me to leave her. The need to protect her had only grown stronger with knowing how badly she had been hurt.

I couldn't let her get hurt again, though I knew that desire was irrational. She was safe with my family. Well, as safe as any human can be in a house full of vampires, but at least I could be sure that no one would intentionally try to hurt her.

That thought calmed me and eased some of the tension in my muscles. Still, I bent down to her once more to lightly press my palm to her cheek, brushing my thumb across her cheekbone. With a last glance to her sleeping face, I turned and followed my sister from the room.

Everyone was gathered and waiting when I arrived downstairs and joined them. Carlisle's thoughts questioned me and I nodded, telling him that she was sound asleep upstairs. He nodded in return, satisfied with my answer.

Carlisle cleared his throat unnecessarily to gain our attention and we all looked to him. "So, c'mon Doc. Tell us how bad it was," Emmett asked solemnly. He knew this was going to be bad, but was trying to make it easier on everyone. Carlisle gave him a small smile before starting talking.

"Well, overall she seems to be fine," he started cautiously, "The cuts and abrasions on her wrists and feet are clear, though for some reason she doesn't seem to be healing. But that could just be a result of her malnourishment and her body's way of not wasting energy." That was only a theory, but it worked for now, I noted.

"Otherwise, it seems that Alice was right," he continued, frowning sadly, "She has some pretty bad bruising over her ribs and abdomen, though thankfully no internal damage or damage to the ribs. But the most concerning find is probably her back." He looked at everyone seriously for a moment before he spoke. "The bruises and lacerations on her back are in the clear shape of boot prints."

My hands convulsed into fists on my lap as I remembered the marks and her whimpers of fear as she cringed from us. My anger burned in my chest, rising to my throat as I suppressed a growl. Several shocked gasps went around the room at this news; even Alice was surprised, apparently not having seen this earlier. Esme looked appalled, while Emmett's expression matched my own furious one.

"You mean some bastard beat her up and left her like an unwanted puppy?" He seethed, teeth gritted and fists clenched as his muscles rippled. I flinched at his phrasing and looked to my father for his response.

Carlisle shook his head. "I'm afraid it's much worse than that," he added darkly, "There are multiple bruises, some older than others, with newer ones overlapping the older ones. That means that the beatings happened over a long period of time and probably on a regular basis. The newer bruises were inflicted before the older ones had had a chance to heal sufficiently, which would have taken a heavy toll on her already fragile body. Combined with the rope burns on her wrists that show she was bound, someone obviously wanted to inflict a large amount of pain on her."

"My God," Jasper muttered, his thoughts tinged with disgust towards the monster that did this to my angel. His arm tightened protectively around Alice at his side in an instinctive reaction to the stress he was feeling, both from himself and everyone else in the room.

"Well, some good news is that she's not as severely underweight as I'd originally thought," Carlisle went on, trying to lift the dark atmosphere that had settled over our group. "She's still underweight, of course, and we'll still need to get her to eat something soon, but it shouldn't be as difficult as I predicted. Hopefully, she won't have to be under as strict a dieting as I had planned."

He turned to Esme then. "Do you think you could cook something easy for her to eat?" He asked, "Just something light, like some broth that won't be heavy on her stomach. We need to get her body used to having food again."

Esme smiled brightly at him. "Of course," she agreed, happy to be able to help.

Carlisle nodded in thanks. "Good. I think we should try to get her to eat something when she wakes up," he looked to me for confirmation and I nodded in acquiescence without glancing up from my folded hands.

I needed to get out of here for a bit. There was too much tension, too much to think about and all of my thoughts constantly swirling in my head, revolving around the girl, were coming close to giving me the first vampire headache. I needed to clear my head and the best way for me to do that was to go for a run.

But I wanted to be here in case the angel woke up. She had been alone in her room before and my family wouldn't intrude on her, but still I wanted to be close to her when she woke. _Don't worry, Edward,_ Alice's thoughts assured me, _she'll be asleep for a couple of hours still. That's plenty of time for you to get back to her._

I smiled my thanks to my sister and made my excuses to the rest of them before swiftly darting from the house into the dense, cool cover of the forest canopy.

**A/N:** I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story **GENTLE TOUCHES** is the very same as author **ANIMAL8. **As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that **ANIMAL8 **had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to **ANIMAL8** page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as **ANIMAL8** and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of **GENTLE TOUCHES**.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

**Gentle Touches**

Chapter 15 – The Necklace (EPOV)

I hunted as I ran, doing anything for a distraction. I was worried and anxious about the girl and no matter how hard I tried not to think about it I couldn't stop my mind from repeating everything I knew about her.

Carlisle's words repeated in my head. She had been abused multiple times, probably over an extended period. I didn't want to think of what she went through, how much she suffered and the pain she was in. It was no wonder that she didn't want to trust us.

But she was starting to trust me. What was it about me that she had seen to make her trust me, I wondered. It could have been that I was around her a lot, certainly more than the others, but there had to have been _something_ for her to hold onto. I sighed and shook my head.

It was no use puzzling over this now, I had more important things to be thinking of, all of them revolving around the girl getting better. I didn't know what to expect when we went to try and feed her. Would she fight, resist us? I hoped not, it would only make things more difficult.

But it wasn't like anything had been easy with her so far, so why now? I ran again, fuelling my legs faster with the frustration I was feeling. I wanted to help her so badly, and I still didn't understand that desire but I knew it was powerful. I just didn't know what to do about it.

Alice told me to trust myself. So far, I seemed to have made progress with her. I knew she understood me so when I talked to her I tried to comfort her and reassure her that I wasn't going to hurt her. I realised now that the odd expression I had seen on her face before, when she moved away from me, was because she didn't understand why I hadn't done anything to her.

It made me think that she hadn't had any positive contact in a while, only being touched when someone was hurting her. I was pained by that and again struck by the desperation to know who had done this to her so I could tear him apart for making an angel suffer like that.

I had to restrain that urge though. We had no information that could help us in any way, not even to identify the girl, so we didn't know who had taken her or what had happened. And the only person who could tell us was the girl and she wasn't talking just yet, so the anger was pointless. It was still there, though.

A growl ripped from my chest at the frustration and I lashed out at the nearest tree, tearing a chunk from its trunk. I stared morosely at the damage, wondering if it was someone lashing out that had hurt my angel.

No, I shook my head furiously. I wasn't going to compare myself to that monster. I was a monster of a different kind, yes, but I would never have hurt her. I will never hurt her.

I caught the scent of a deer and raced to it, snapping its neck in an instant before sinking my teeth into it. The warm blood helped calm my nerves some and I took a deep breath, calming myself. I couldn't afford to take this out near the girl and risk her being hurt; it was better spent out here, away from her. That was why I needed to get away for a bit.

My anger at what this angel had suffered and the monster behind it had begun clouding my head and I needed to clear it. I pushed the dead carcass away from me and started running again.

The rush of air past me as I let my feet carry me was refreshing, liberating. I had always loved the distraction of running and it gave me a great get away from my thoughts or from those of my family whenever things got heated.

I focused on the feel of my feet hitting the earth and propelling me faster still through the forest and the trees as I flew past them. All the minute details were still clear to me even at this speed, my eyesight being as enhanced as it was by the change.

The distraction worked well and for a while I didn't think anything about the girl or the situation revolving around her. It wasn't until I slowed that I recognised the part of the forest I was in.

Looking around as I slowed down to a human walk, I caught the familiar scent which had been on my mind constantly since we brought the girl home. Automatically, I turned in that direction and followed the path that my brothers and I took to the cabin, allowing our combined scents to pull me in.

I hesitated when I realised what I was doing, but didn't stop moving forward. Soon, the rundown cabin came into sight, exactly the same as the last time I had laid eyes on it. Slowly, I approached the door, still left ajar from our exit.

When I was inside, I glanced around the room quietly, thinking what it had been like for her living here, in this poor condition. I didn't want her to go through that ever again. I wanted to be there to protect her.

I shook my head from those thoughts and moved on, going to the bedroom where we had found her. I stood in the corner so I could look down into the corner that she had cowered in. Her scent still lingered in this place, much more strongly in the room where I was standing, and I inhaled it deeply.

As I stared sadly at that one space, my eyes caught sight of something as the miniscule amount of light reflected off of it. My feet took me to stand in the exact place I had before and I crouched down to get a better look.

All I could see through the layers of dust was a thin, golden chain. Carefully, I picked it up with my fingers, pulling out a necklace from the layer of dirt. I held it up in front of me and admired the gold locket dangling from the end.

Using my other hand, I gently cradled the locket in my palm, drawing it closer to scrutinise the detail. The front of it was outlined with a rope pattern, following the oval shape of the locket, and the space inside was entirely filled with the image of a rose; its petals spreading out to touch the rope.

It was a very intricate design, I noted, and very expensive. Probable very valuable to whoever owned it, I estimated. I turned it over in my hand and my breath inexplicably hitched at the message.

_Forever in my heart,_ it read. Underneath the fancy script, the design of a swan was engraved, as if in place of a signature. It was something that would have been personal to both the person who had given this gift and to the recipient.

I felt a sadness reading those words. From the scent surrounding it, it obviously belonged to the girl. I doubted that she would have held onto it if it wasn't hers. She must have forgotten about it when I picked her up. But, if it was hers, why wasn't she wearing it? I know it wasn't on her because I would have seen it if it had dropped from her person.

So it had been lying next to her and been left behind. I would take this back with me and return it to her. It was hers and therefore should be given back to her. As I held in it my fingers, though, I felt the temptation, the curiosity, to open it build within me.

Carefully, my finger released the catch on the side and I tentatively pulled the two halves open. Inside were two pictures, one on each side. The one on the right showed a woman with dark hair and deep green eyes, smiling out at the camera. Her hair was loose, framing her face with two plaits tied back around the crown of her head.

The other, on the left, was a picture of a man. His hair was dark, so were his eyes and there was something in their depth that showed an inner power. Instantly, I knew that he was not someone to be messed with. But still, there was a unique kindness and love reflected in his expression.

Both of them were fairly dark skinned, almost like the Native American Quileutes in La Push. This confused me. When I first saw the two people I had assumed them to be the girl's parents, but the difference in skin tone didn't make sense. The girl was too pale, far too pale even taking into account her poor condition, to be genetically related to the couple.

Adoptive parents, maybe? I wondered. I didn't recognise their faces, so they weren't living in Forks; I had seen practically every face in the small town. But there was no clue as to where they lived or where the girl had come from. I sighed and gently closed the locket with a click.

I felt slightly guilty for having pried into the girl's precious belongings, but I needed to know if there was any information that may help us find out who she was. There was nothing, though, only a couple of photos and a sentimental inscription. If we could find out who the photos were of, however, it might give us information on her.

Abruptly, I stood up, placing the locket and chain into my front jeans pocket. I would show it to Carlisle, I decided. Maybe he could find something about them.

Now that my head was clearer, the anger gone, spent out as it was, the need to be with the girl returned. Taking a last glance around the dank room, I fled its premises, leaving her scent and the reminder of her past behind.

The return run to my house was much quicker and more direct than when I had left, mostly because before I had been running merely to burn of my anger whereas now I had a purpose behind it. Alice smiled at me as I entered. "You're just in time," she said, "The girl was just about to wake up. For some reason she would have been quite upset to find you not there."

I didn't know I had been gone so long; it had felt like hardly any time. Alice's words finally registered with me and I couldn't help the massive grin that spread on my face. The girl wanted me to be there when she woke. And whatever her reason, I would make sure that I was. But first, I needed to speak to Carlisle.

_You two are both the same,_ Alice thought, rolling her eyes. _You're both happy to be around each other,_ she expanded when I gave her a questioning glance. "Carlisle's in the kitchen with Esme," she told me before bouncing off out of the room.

I shook my head at her, not sure what to make of her thoughts, and headed into the kitchen. Both parents looked up at me and smiled in greeting. Esme was standing at the stove, stirring a pan of what I assumed was the broth for the girl. I fought not to wrinkle my nose at the smell, but at least it wasn't the worst of human food.

Carlisle was sat at the kitchen table and now looked at me curiously. I sat with him, pulling out the necklace and handing it to him. He stared at it confused before turning back to me for explanation. "I found it in the same place as the girl," I explained, "I think it belongs to her."

_Do you think it could help us find out who she is?_ He questioned in his mind, already guessing where I was heading with my thought.

"Yes, I was hoping so," I admitted, watching as he turned it to read the same message I had.

He opened it to look at the pictures inside, examining every possible detail. "They don't look related to her," he noted, "I wonder who they are to her, then."

I nodded at his observation. "Yes, I thought that as well. I wondered if maybe they were adoptive parents," I shook my head and sighed, "I don't know, but it's the only things we have that will possibly help until the girl can talk to us herself."

Carlisle smiled sadly. "I can try, but I can't guarantee that I'll find anything with only a couple of photos to go off of, especially if she's not blood related to them," he spoke regretfully and I knew he wished he could do more.

"I know," I acknowledged, giving him a reassuring smile, "But we have to try."

Alice appeared behind me before he could answer and opened her thoughts to me. _She's going to wake up soon,_ she thought. I nodded to her and quickly walked past her, heading up the stairs to my old room

**A/N:** I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story **GENTLE TOUCHES** is the very same as author **ANIMAL8. **As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that **ANIMAL8 **had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to **ANIMAL8** page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as **ANIMAL8** and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of **GENTLE TOUCHES**.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

**Gentle Touches**

Chapter 16 – Great Things (EPOV)

The angel woke just as I walked through the door and as Alice had predicted she immediately looked around, not noticing me standing at the door. She blinked a couple of times before her expression became worried and her heart rate increased.

When she whimpered I went quickly to her side, sitting on the bed next to her. She relaxed when she saw me and I smiled, taking one of her hands into mine. "It's okay," I whispered, "I'm here."

She gave me a small, but relieved, smile and blinked once. I smiled again and turned so I could lie down beside her. "I'm sorry I worried you," I murmured, playing my fingers through her hair. She leaned into my touch, making my smile broaden as I realised from that small action that I was forgiven.

I had to tell her what we going to do, explain it so she wouldn't be afraid, but I wanted to have this moment to ourselves. For now, it was just the two of us and even though I could hear the thoughts of my parents downstairs, they didn't matter right now.

We were both quiet, just watching the other silently. It was peaceful, but I knew it couldn't last. I sighed lightly and the girl looked at me curiously, her head tilting to the side.

I debated about how to tell her, without overwhelming her or causing her to panic. But I couldn't just dance around the topic; I needed to explain it to her straight. I shook my head. Why was I worrying so much? I didn't know that she would react negatively, for all I knew she could be quite accepting. Just because she was afraid of some things didn't mean she was afraid of everything.

"Angel," I started softly, my hand cupping her cheek, "My father wants you to try and eat something. We know that you're underweight and probably haven't eaten in awhile, but we need you to try."

She looked worried as she stared at me, her body shifting uncomfortably. I stroked her cheek soothingly, waiting for her to respond. When she did, it wasn't what I wanted. She shuddered once and shook her head minutely.

"Please, Angel," I whispered, squeezing the hand I was still holding reassuringly, "We just need you to try. It will help you get better." She looked torn, her eyes reflecting a fierce desperation. Finally, she sighed and gave me a small nod. I smiled gratefully, showing my appreciation. "Thank you, Angel."

My angel swallowed hard and clenched her eyes shut. I frowned sadly at the action. She was obviously not happy and only doing this because I asked, but it was for own good. It still didn't make me feel better though. "Hey," I soothed, stroking her hair back from her face.

She opened her eyes and gave me a shaky smile, as if she was trying to convince me she was fine with the decision, but I could see she was not. I sighed and continued to brush her hair and hold her hand, offering what comfort I could.

_Edward?_ I waited, listening out for the rest of Carlisle's thoughts. _Esme is almost finished. Will the girl be alright with me coming in there? I think it would be better; that way you can support her, otherwise you wouldn't have free hands to do both. I don't think she would be strong enough to sit up by herself._

"Of course," I answered, speaking too low for the girl to hear me. I stared at her, but she had closed her eyes again and seemed close to sleep, but somehow I knew she was still listening to me. "You're going to be alright," I murmured gently.

Her eyes flickered open and fixed on me as her fingers tightened around my hand. I smiled warmly at her, trying to ease her as the first sign of her anxiousness flooded her system. Her heart rate increased and she trembled lightly.

"Shh," I hushed her quietly, lowering my head to look her in the eye. "It's going to be okay," I said seriously, using my gaze to transmit the message to her. She calmed down, listening to my voice.

I remained focused on her, making sure she was fine while my hands still unconsciously ran through her hair, soothing her. When I was certain she was calm enough, I relaxed myself and became aware that my father was preparing to come up the stairs.

"Come on, Angel," I murmured softly, sitting up next to her and then sliding my arms around her slim body to pull her up into a sitting position. She tensed suddenly and struggled against me, tiny whimpering noises escaping her mouth as she began panicking. Berating myself for moving too fast, I stopped and tried to comfort her, my arms remaining in their hold around her.

My hand went to her cheek, stroking it carefully as I silently pleaded for her to open her eyes and look at me. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm sorry," I whispered over and over. I had forgotten, with her being so calm around me, that she was still frightful and that she didn't react well to being picked up. It was too easy to be around her now, but I was a vampire and I shouldn't have forgotten with my perfect memory.

With my mantra and calming motions, she slowly settled in my arms. Her breathing steadied and she ceased her struggling, falling limp against me. I watched her cautiously as she gathered herself and waited impatiently for her to open her eyes.

When she did, I was distraught to see there were tears pooled around their brown depths. She focused on me and they overflowed, running down her cheeks and leaving wet stains in their wake. "Hush," I soothed, my thumb wiping away the damp, salty marks and caressing her skin softly. Regret filled me as I felt the moisture on my hand. An angel shouldn't cry.

"I'm sorry, Angel," I apologised, "But I need you to sit up so you can eat something. Do you think you can do that for me?" Give her the choice, I thought. She eyed me closely, scrutinising me. I waited for her approval and thankfully she gave me a small nod of her head in consent.

Moving slowly this time, I lifted her body up and closer to mine until she was sitting with the top half of her body leaning back against me. She tried to help as much as she could, but her muscles gave out under her and so she let me do the work. Once she was sitting, she lay with her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes.

I frowned, concerned, at her. This was the most strenuous movement she had done other than struggling against us and she already seemed exhausted. She soon opened her again, though, when Carlisle opened the door.

She tensed as he entered and he paused to evaluate her reaction. When she did nothing further, he tentatively moved around to the other side of the bed to me and laid the bowl he was carrying in his hands on my bedside table before pulling up the desk chair to sit on.

"So, how are things this morning?" He started conversationally, purposefully ignoring the bowl when he noted her anxiety towards it. I smiled at his tactic. "Is everything okay?" He asked.

The girl narrowed her eyes slightly and gave a wary nod to his question. Carlisle smiled kindly at her in response, trying to assuage her nervousness. "I suppose Edward has explained to you what we want to do now?" She glanced back to me, the worry visible in her eyes, before going back to my father and nodding again. "Good," he smiled satisfied that she understood what was going on.

"Now," Carlisle began, picking the bowl up into his lap and grabbing the spoon I hadn't noticed earlier, "Do you think you could eat some of this?" He gestured to the bowl.

Again, the angel looked back to me for assurance, still clearly upset and getting more anxious by the moment. "You don't have to eat everything," I encouraged her, giving my father a fleeting look, "Just try to have some of it."

Hesitantly, she turned back to him and nodded her consent. "Alright," he said mildly as he filled the spoon with the soup before offering it to her. He held the spoon away from her, rather than in her face so she didn't feel forced and he waited patiently. I admired his way of handling her, especially considering she was more afraid of him than me.

After a moment of indecision, she leaned forward and took the spoon into her mouth. I smiled and rubbed her arm lightly in support, pleased that she was making an effort. She smiled falteringly when she saw and in turn my smile turned more sympathetic.

Carlisle waited to regain her attention and when he did, he filled the spoon again, repeating the process. The girl swallowed the mouthful more willingly this time, bringing a satisfied smile to my father's face.

I stayed quiet, but kept my hand on her arm, showing her that I was still here. She finished half of the bowl in this fashion before she shook her head at the next spoonful presented to her. My father looked to me and I caught the drift of his thoughts without him putting them into words.

"Just one more, Angel," I pushed lightly, giving her an upholding smile when she twisted to face me. Her eyes tightened and she looked like she wanted to fight me on the issue. "One more and you can rest," I reiterated, hoping for her to listen to me.

She contemplated the spoon doubtfully, a strangely tormented look on her face that caused a jerk in my chest and my hands to spasm in reaction to it its presence there. A pained furrow formed on her brow as she sighed and gulped the small mouthful of broth down.

Her head flopped back onto my shoulder with a solid _thunk_ that I was sure had to have hurt. I winced at the sound and lifted my cold hand to rub tenderly at the spot while Carlisle picked the bowl up, placing the spoon into it.

"You did well, poppet," he reassured her, "It will take time for your appetite to come back." I felt his urge to pat her on the shoulder; an action he used to comfort his patients in the hospital when they are need, but he resisted, remembering that she didn't respond well to the physical contact.

_I'll leave you to get her settled, Edward,_ he thought to me as he quietly left the room, carrying the half empty bowl with him. I nodded once to assure him that I would and he smiled before closing the door behind him.

"Let's get you laid back down, sweetheart," I murmured. She didn't respond, her eyes already closed as I manoeuvred her body gently so she was lying on her side again and then laid myself beside her.

My hand pressed against her cheek carefully and her eyes drifted open to stare at me questioningly. I smiled affectionately and the pads of my fingers traced invisible patterns on her skin. A small smile touched the corners of her mouth as she turned into my palm and her eyes slid shut.

I watched her face relax as she fell asleep and I admired her peaceful beauty. I could stare at her for an eternity, looking into her deep, expressional, brown eyes. I wanted to be able to hear her voice, have her talk to me and confide in me. I wanted her to trust me.

I jolted my head back and forth, ridding my mind of those thoughts. I shouldn't want that; it was bad for her to be near me. But I couldn't avoid her, either, not when I had promised myself and her that I would help her. I was torn between what I wanted and what was best for her. And still I didn't understand my desires.

The girl shuffled in her sleep, moving just that inch closer to me that I could feel the heat of her body radiating off and warming my cold, hardened skin. And I knew I couldn't let her go. Something in me was drawn to this child and somehow, I knew that I couldn't live without her. I couldn't imagine not having her around.

And that scared me. I hardly knew this girl. Really, I knew nothing about her other than something bad had obviously happened and she was in need of help. And that I desired to be the one to provide that help.

So for that reason, I would stay, against my better judgement, I would follow what my heart wanted most: to be near the girl. And I could hear Alice's voice in my head as I came to that decision.

_I see great things in your future, Edward. Trust me when I say this; you will not regret it._

Despite the anxiety for what things she could possibly mean, I found that I didn't regret anything. My heart was singing with the thought of the time that I would be able to spend with my angel.

But I wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

**A/N:** I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.


	17. Chapter 17 (NEW)

A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story **GENTLE TOUCHES** is the very same as author **ANIMAL8. **As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that **ANIMAL8 **had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to **ANIMAL8** page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as **ANIMAL8** and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of **GENTLE TOUCHES**.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

**Gentle Touches**

Chapter 17 – Poor Hope (EPOV)

Hot water ran down my back, washing away the dirt that had accumulated on my skin. I was in my new room which had been sadly neglected since I spent so much of my time with the girl. After she had fallen asleep, I stayed with her, watching her with fascination until I left when the sun set.

I couldn't help but be drawn to her. Everything about her captured my attention from her silent mind to her beautiful face or her deep, brown eyes. She occupied every thought, no matter how small and no matter how hard I tried to push them away. My angel had become the center of my personal universe as well as my artistic muse. It was a rather odd feeling—the feeling of someone taking over my every thought—yet I was not in any way displeased with the found knowledge that I had some how altered my entire existence around my mystery angel. I did not even know how or even when it had happened...it just did.

I closed my eyes and sighed. The girl had finally eaten something and Carlisle was hopeful that this was a step forward to her getting better. I was pleased and relieved to hear that, but I also knew that there was still a long while to go before she was fully recovered.

The water turned colder so my hand reached out and I shut it off, wrapping myself in a towel and quickly grabbing my clothes. Once I had dried and pulled on my pants, I walked out into my room carrying my shirt in my hand.

Alice was waiting for me on my bed and I was surprised enough that I dropped my shirt to the floor. Scowling at her, I bent to pick it up. I realised that yet again, I had been so distracted with my thoughts of the girl that I had failed to take notice of my surroundings.

My sister was muffling her snigger when I looked up, making my frown grow deeper. "I see that happening a lot," she shrugged airily, not quite able to smother her smirk.

I nearly groaned, guessing from Alice's statement that the girl would be taking up a lot more of my thoughts in the future, despite my efforts to keep my mind from her. Shaking it off with a grimace, I pulled the shirt over my head and ran a hand through my hair. I raised an eyebrow questioningly at her, wondering what she was doing in my room in the first place.

She hesitated, eyeballing me cautiously. I couldn't even hear from her thoughts what was bothering her. "I'm worried, Edward," she mumbled quietly, eyes lowering to the ground. Instantly, I began to panic, wondering what could possibly be wrong, and thinking she had seen something about the girl.

"What, Alice?" I choked out, trying to control my sudden panicked thoughts.

She didn't answer, just staring at me sadly. But I didn't have time to shout at her, demanding an answer before I heard exactly what she had seen. I froze, listening in on the girl in the other room as she vomited again.

I yanked my door open and raced down the hall without thinking to wait for Alice. When I reached the girl's room, I barged in with much less care than I would usually give her, the door slamming open with a bang.

As soon as I entered, I saw her. She was lying on the far edge of the bed with her back to me, the top half of her body was leaning over the side and she was shaking as she dry heaved violently.

I blurred as I ran to her, for once not caring about acting human around her. The only thought I had was that I had to get to her, I had to help her. In one, swift movement I was on the bed beside her, holding her hair away from her face with one hand while rubbing her back with the other.

Soft tremors ran through her as she continued to heave a few times. Her right hand clenched so tightly onto the side of the mattress that her tendons were turning white from the strain as she supported her awkward position. I whispered quiet comforts to her, but I didn't know if she heard them in her current condition.

When she was done she collapsed, exhausted, onto the bed with her breathing erratic and her body shaking. She lay on her side with her back facing to me.

"It's okay, it's okay," I murmured calmingly in her ear. I brushed my fingers across her sweaty forehead, the pasty, pallid colour of her skin making me worry. Her eyes closed as she breathed evenly. I rested my cold hand on her head, hoping it would help in a way and she let out a small sigh to my satisfaction.

Alice came in then with a bucket and scrub brush in her hands. I smiled at her gratefully and she placed a damp cloth in my hand. I brought the cloth to the angel's face and used it to gently wipe her mouth and face clean.

Her eyes opened halfway as Alice started cleaning up the mess on the carpet, but the brown of them was glazed and unseeing. Carefully, I pried her fingers loose from her tight hold on the bedding and squeezed her hand softly before releasing it.

I moved my arm around her waist and carefully pulled her back towards the centre of the bed. She didn't even blink or complain as I moved her, and it was so uncharacteristic of her that I glanced to my sister out of concern. Her body was cooler as well, still burning against my skin, but not as hot as usual.

"Angel," I spoke quietly, trying to get her to focus on me. Getting no response from her, I positioned my hands gingerly on her shoulder and turned her over. She stiffened slightly, but made no noise as I rolled her to face me. Her eyes were tormented and she looked worn down, like she was ready to give up and still she gazed blankly ahead of her, seeing something else entirely.

Fearfully, I clutched her in my arms, shaking her firmly. "Angel," I beseeched, staring fixedly into her unfocused eyes. She blinked once and looked at me, some of the brightness returning to her eyes, though she still looked very sad. I sighed in relief and stroked her face lightly.

"You're okay," I told her, holding her close to my chest. She sighed softly and snuggled closer to me. It felt so good to hold her like this, with her warm body pressed against mine, warming me.

She fit perfectly in my arms and her head rested in the crook of my neck so I could feel her delicate breaths blowing across the exposed skin there. I took a deep breath, inhaling her glorious scent as I regulated my own breathing to hers naturally. My hand was on her back, rhythmically smoothing down her hair as I listened to her breaths whoosh steadily in and out of her lungs. Her warmth surrounded me and it felt magnificent. It was the most peaceful I'd felt in a long time.

_You love her,_ Alice thought. My eyes widened at the sudden thought, but I immediately denied it. I couldn't deny that I felt something towards her, but it wasn't love. It couldn't be loved. There was some attachment, a growing bond between us, yes, but never that. My being in love with her wasn't in her best interest. _Stop being stubborn, Edward,_ she insisted.

I growled at her, annoyed at her persistence. The girl in my arms tensed, instantaneously calming me as I remembered her presence. I started humming her lullaby to her, still trailing my hand up and down her back, tracing the sharp ridges of her spine.

She was awake, but lay limp and quiet as I held her. I was mildly surprised that she was allowing me to be so close to her, but took as partly her growing trust in me and partly the fact that she was currently exhausted. Whatever the reason, I was glad to have this moment with her.

Alice left the room, taking heed of my message and removing the bucket with her, her task now complete. With her gone, I turned my attention back to the angel, gently moving the hair out of her face so I could see her clearly.

"Are you okay now, Angel?" I asked in a whisper, tucking some hair behind her ear. She blinked sleepily and then nodded. I gave her a comforting smile and glanced out the window, noticing how late it was and that no wonder she was so tired. "Go to sleep," I instructed, gazing back down at her, "You'll be fine now."

She fixed her eyes on me for a minute before allowing them to close and she fell asleep instantly. I stared into her peaceful face, stroking the soft skin of her cheek, across her damp brow and down the bridge of her nose. I had thought she would be getting better, but now I worried about what this set back would cost her. At least the colour had returned to her previously pale features, but even that was not even to allay all of my fears.

Carefully, I extricated myself from beneath her, resting her head delicately onto the pillow. As a last thought, I covered her with the blue blanket, touching her arm lightly as I silently wished her to sleep well. She didn't stir once as I silently left the room.

I found Carlisle easily by following the direction of his thoughts. He was in the medical room, double checking the supplies as he did from time to time. I knocked and waited politely, though on the inside my thoughts were being thrown around with more force than a storm.

_Come in, Edward,_ he thought to me, beckoning me in. "What did you wish to see me about?" Carlisle asked, looking up at me from the shelf he was standing at and checking.

I shifted nervously as I tried to find a way to put my worries into words. "I'm worried about the girl," I confessed, frowning at the thought, "She was sick earlier, pretty badly as well."

His gaze turned sympathetic. "I know that you care about her, Edward, but she's been through something traumatic. And with any patient who has been kept malnourished, it will take her body a while to get used to having food again." He stared at me for minute before continuing. "To be honest, it was kind of to be expected, Edward. Next time, we'll just have to give her a smaller portion until she gets used to it and maybe try something drier that would stay down better.

"For now, I would normally suggest giving her water, but in her case I doubt she'll take it. We'll just have to be careful and keep an eye on her to ensure she doesn't become too dehydrated," he said, smiling sadly.

I sighed, but understood what he was saying. I had been through medical school myself and I knew the process of feeding malnourished patients so that they slowly gained weight and were able to eat bigger and bigger portions. If it hadn't before then it definitely hit home now just how much the girl had going against her. Just the thought of how much she would have to go through before she was healed, both physically and emotionally, made my heart tug.

"Thank you, Carlisle," I said. He nodded to me. My thoughts were put at ease for now, knowing that nothing was terribly wrong with my angel, but I was still anxious for her.

I exited the room without another word, leaving him to do his work in peace. It was too late to go to the girl's room now and I didn't want to disturb her. She really needed her rest, especially after all of that exertion before.

So I went downstairs instead, preparing to spend some time with my siblings. I had been so wrapped up with thoughts of the girl and spending my time with her that I was beginning to feel that I was neglecting my family, though I was certain they would understand. They knew how much I cared for the angel already, even if they couldn't explain it. Hell, I could barely explain it myself!

And most of them were accepting of it as well, with the small exception of Jasper and Rosalie, both of whom were still wary about getting close to a human. But even Rosalie's cold heart had warmed slightly to the girl. I was confident that they wouldn't interfere. At least while there was no threat. It would undoubtedly be a different situation if the Volturi were to become involved.

Only Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie were in the living room when I walked in. Jasper was eyeing the front door anxiously and Emmett and Rosalie were too immersed in each other to acknowledge my presence.

"Where's Alice?" I asked, catching only fragments of Jasper's worried thoughts. He was remembering her leaving, saying she was going for a walk. In his mind, he noted that she had looked troubled.

Jasper glanced up at me and shrugged. "She didn't say anything other than that she needed some space and was going for a run," he explained miserably, "I don't know what was wrong, but she was feeling very frustrated and worried."

I nodded thoughtfully. I judged from her thoughts that she was most likely frustrated because, in her terms, of 'my stubbornness to admit that I was in love with the girl'. I wished that she would just understand and leave it be. I didn't love her, and I wouldn't allow myself to get close enough to her to do so. But even as I thought that, I knew that it would be difficult to distance myself if I was trying to help her. As it was I was nearly always near her anyway.

Emmett had stopped making out with Rosalie long enough to ask a question. "How is the girl? We heard earlier, you know, when she was..." He didn't complete his sentence, but I knew what he was talking about.

"She's asleep again now," I sighed, "She couldn't keep what little food we fed her down." Emmett snorted and looked at me as if to say 'obviously'. I shot him a glare, daring him to say it aloud. He wisely kept silent. "Carlisle said it's not unusual considering her emaciated state. He thinks we should try her on smaller portions of a different type of food."

"Will that help?" Rosalie asked worriedly. I looked at her for a minute, surprised that she was expressing concern for a girl she didn't even want to have around, before I answered.

"I don't know," I said honestly, "I really, really hope so, but I just don't know."

**A/N:** I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.


	18. Chapter 18

Gentle Touches

Bella's POV

The cabin was silent, the air musty with the scent of old mould and dry rot. The wood had been left uncared for a long time ago; no one ever came here. So I was safe, for now at least. My bindings had been removed and my wrists were free as I clutched them tightly to myself. The skin where I had been bound more than numerous times was aching and raw, but I held the very, very small hope in my head that I was safe and maybe even...free.

Free from them—all of them—as long as I stayed quiet and moved only at night, I should be safe. I would have to try and sleep during the day, to keep my strength up so I could continue to run at night. I was so weak. Though they didn't want me to die—so they say—they only ever gave me small sips of water every now and then, I had never eaten food before. They never wanted me to have the energy to fight back or try and run away.

Tears threatened to spill over the rims of my eyes, but now was not the time to cry. It would only exhaust me more and make it harder for my next journey. Taking a deep shuddering breath to try and block out all of my overwhelming emotions threatening to burst out of me in a torrent of tears. I silently wondered what my parents would think if they saw me now, cowering in the corner like a scared animal. I guess that was what I was now, though. A scared, mistreated animal, left alone in the darkness to fend for herself or to curl up and die.

It was then that slow and cautious footsteps broke through the thoughts of my parents. I started to panic. Had they found me? Had I left a trail behind me? Did they follow my scent? I thought I would have made it at least a little difficult to find me. The foot steps continued to approach with the same slow and cautious movement, until they came to stop in the main part of the dilapidated wood cabin.

I kept silent. Barely breathing, hoping that they would just leave and never come back. I didn't want to go back with them! I didn't want to be a small abused, wild animal to them anymore! Hopelessness and defeat washed over me, like a thick blanket, threatening to smother me. My heart was pounding against my ribcage, as they foot steps started towards me in what I thought I could make out in my direction.

I tensed for the worst, suppressing the urge to growl at them.

"Whoa, this place is a mess," a deep, rumbling voice observed. A new voice, not one I recognised, but still I did not relax.

I nearly sobbed with relief that these were not the people looking for me...or were they? The thought had me even more on edge than before. I tensed, trying to make myself as small as possible. Maybe if I made myself small enough, they would over look me and leave. They didn't seem to be moving any place near where I was hiding.

Maybe it was a lost hope?

"Nicely observed, Emmett," a dry voice answered.

I had not given thought to how run down this cabin been, only that it was dry shelter that gave me a chance at hiding until nightfall. How wrong I was!

"What brought you here, Edward?" The same voice asked another person. "This place is empty."

_Yes!_ My mind screamed back, agreeing with the unknown voice. _This cabin is empty, now go away and leave me alone. Please leave me be, don't find me...please just leave!_ The sound of the very same door that was hiding me creaked open and I curled up tighter into my little protective cage. _Why couldn't they leave me alone? _I thought miserably.

"I'm not so sure about that," the deep voice, known as Emmett, whispered. He had seen me, I despaired. What would they do to me now? I was terrified, my body trembling in the dust that had gathered over the years. _Please, just leave me alone!_ My thoughts shrieked inside my head. I had o bite my lip to keep from growling or sobbing or maybe even both.

I heard the shuffling of feet and felt the gaze of the other two on my pitiful, shaking form. They both let out breaths of surprise, I guessed at the state I was in, or the shock of seeing me. Clearly, they had not been expecting to find a malnourished, tortured girl in the middle of the woods in a run down and rotting wood cabin. I didn't dare open my eyes to look at them, so I stayed where I was, trying to quell my automatic fear, praying that they did not come any closer to me.

"What do we do with her?" Emmett asked in a hushed voice.

_You do nothing with me! Just walk away and leave me here, I don't want to go anyplace with any of you. _I pleaded with them in my thoughts, knowing it was all in vain, no one could read minds! And I would never dare to speak aloud to any of them. I tried to make myself smaller by curling into myself to the point where my knees were buried in my eye sockets and was causing it to become painful.

"We can't leave her here," a new voice stated sternly. _Yes, you can,_ I wanted to shout. But I could make any noise as I listened to them. I tried to move further away from them, but the corner met me with resistance.

"What do we do then?" The nameless voice questioned quietly.

"We take her to Carlisle," the new voice decided. _No,_ I whimpered in my head. _I don't want to, please leave me alone._ But it was out of my hands. They would take me. I could only _hope_ that they had good intentions, but I didn't think I could ever properly trust them. All anyone ever did was hurt me.

GT GT GT GT GT GT GT GT GT GT GT GT GT

It took everything in me not to whimper as the quiet one spoke again. "You'll have to carry her," he said, his voice sending a calming sensation over me that I fought off. I didn't want to be calm, not with them here. "Careful though, she's very afraid, I think she's aware we're here," he continued.

I heard one of them step forward, closer to me. I nearly growled, but I forced myself not to react, keeping my body still as he came over to me. He crouched next to me and I cringed back automatically, fearing his presence near me.

His hand touched my face lightly, moving my hair away and I flinched away in surprise; I hadn't expected him to touch me. I heard his gasp and I wondered what caused it but then decided it didn't matter.

Again, I sensed his hand stretch out and brush my cheek. I jerked away and this time couldn't manage to suppress my growl and it resounded sharply in the small room. "She's wild that one," Emmett joked, laughing.

I wanted to sob, I knew he was talking about me, but I didn't care. He was right, really. After everything I had been through, I was essentially wild. Or at least that was how I would appear to most people and I could only imagine what these three thought of me.

The one next to me turned, his clothes rustling, giving away his movement. Curious, I opened my eyes warily to see what was going on. The first thing I saw was the beautiful boy crouched next to me. His hair was bronze and I could see from how close I was how his muscles rippled slightly as he twisted to glare at the big burly one. I assumed this was Emmett who had made the comment.

When the boy turned back to me, he seemed surprised to see me staring back at him. I wonder what he saw in my face, but his tone turned soothing as he spoke to me. "It's okay," he whispered, "We don't want to hurt you."

I almost believed him but once he'd said the words his hand reached out to take my arm. Glaring, I pulled it away from him and cradled it behind the barrier of my legs. Persistently, though, he moved his hand further up my arm and let it rest there. I flinched, trying to get him away, and when he didn't move I let out a whimper mixed with a deep sob tightening in my chest, my eyes pleading with him to leave me be and just go away. It was pathetic, but I just wanted him to leave me alone. Ignoring my silent pleas, he crept closer to me, his hand still on my arm.

Desperately, I began growling, hoping to warn him away since I didn't have the strength to move myself. He wanted to take me away—to where I did not know, but I didn't trust him not to hurt me, I didn't want to go with him. Clearly, he wasn't bothered by my threat, probably seeing that I couldn't really do anything about it, and he slipped an arm underneath me to support my weight.

Unable to help myself, I tensed as I waited to see what he would do now that he had me where he wanted me. He seemed to wait as well for a moment before gently lifting me up into his arms. I whimpered and growled, feeling more vulnerable now that he held me to his chest.

He may not be meaning to, but it felt like he was restraining me like this and I didn't like it. I struggled against his grip, trying to get away, but he kept a firm hold on my damaged body. Eventually, I was forced to stop, collapsing weakly in his arms as I ran out of energy and my sore body protesting the violent movements.

It was hopeless. I went from one trying to escape from my first set of abusers, only to find myself in another. My eyes remained clenched tight as he shifted my weight. One of his hands softly touched my fist, but when I tugged that away he moved to rest it on my cheek instead.

"I'm not going to hurt you," his soft, velvet voice crooned softly to me. I wanted to believe him, I wanted to feel connected with him, but I couldn't trust him. He could hurt me. Hesitantly, I opened my eyes to look up at him. His golden eyes were open and trustworthy, showing only concern and worry for me, a small crease on his forehead showing the same.

I sighed slightly as I let my eyes close. It wasn't as if I could stop him anyway, but I hoped that he did want to take care of me. My fate easily rested in his hands, down to his decision. I wouldn't be able to stop him if he decided to hurt me, or worse. His scent clouded my head being this close to his body and I turned into him, just barely, to inhale it more. It was heavenly and I allowed myself to drift with it, letting it wash my senses away and make me forget. I wanted to forget.

A sudden burst of light made me realised that we had started moving and had left the cabin. I felt the one who held me arms tighten around me, holding me still, and I panicked slightly. What was I doing? I couldn't relax around these strangers, couldn't let my guard down.

The fear was suddenly all consuming. I knew the others were talking but I couldn't comprehend the words and that made me panic more. They could have talking about anything and I needed to know what was going on. But the more I panicked, the harder it was to focus, which in turn brought on more panic.

I didn't realise I had made a noise until all of a sudden, the talking stopped and I could feel their gazes on me. No one spoke, but by some signal I didn't notice they all began running, causing me to yelp at the sudden change.

We were on our way now, and I didn't know what to expect when we got to wherever we were going. I didn't know if I even wanted to know what could await me.

**A/N:** So...what did you think of the first Bella Chapter? I know a few of you have been asking when I was going to posting a Bella chapter and I wasn't planning on doing it yet, but I thought it would give poor Edward a break.

I am so grateful to **Animal8** for letting me adopt this amazing story. And I am even more grateful that I have gained so many more readers and fans of **Gentle Touches. **Without all of you, I wouldn't be here making these chapters into a wonderful and tragic story. My hope is that I can keep making each chapter with as much emotion and heart ache and love as the last ones.

Thank you all for all of your kind words and never ending support.

Hope to see you all at the next chapter. Please Review!

LouLouCullen


	19. Chapter 19

I Own Nothing Twilight

Chapter 18 – Praying For a Miracle (EPOV)

I waved my hands to clear the dark smoke as I frowned down at the blackened, unrecognisable square. Apparently, making toast was harder than I had first thought, as the foiled result from my fifth attempt would show.

Carlisle thought that toast, being a more solid food substance, would be easier for the girl to keep down. It didn't as hold much nutritional value as some other foods, but it would at least get her stomach used to having food again so that way we could give her something else that would be more beneficial.

But for now, my father thought this was a good place to start. So here I was, in the kitchen, attempting and failing to produce toast by lightly cooking the slices of bread. But clearly, I was doing something wrong, though for the life of me, I couldn't tell what.

I sighed. Someone else would be better suited to working in the kitchen than me. As if my thoughts had been heard, Esme bustled into the kitchen, taking in the pile of burnt bread in the bin and the most recent disaster that I was currently staring morosely at.

"Oh, Edward," she sighed, shaking her head with her hands on her hips. I gave her a sheepish look, feeling very much like a child caught making a mess in his mother's pristine kitchen.

Esme only smiled fondly and motioned me out of the way. "Alice called," she said wryly as she pulled a fresh piece of bread from the bag, "She told me I should rescue you from the kitchen before the whole loaf suffered the same fate." She laughed lightly, telling me she found the situation highly amusing.

"I didn't expect it to be so hard," I admitted, running a hand through my hair in embarrassment. "I don't have any experience of cooking that I can remember well enough. There are a few hazy things I can remember, but none of them that give instructions on how to make toast without burning it," I let out a dry laugh, and quickly made a mental note, to learn how to cook, for my angel. Part of me became giddy in the fact that I would indeed be helping her more with her lengthy recovery. The other part of me battled down those giddy feelings, knowing that the girl may in fact find the family that has been looking for her. My giddiness was then wiped out completely by frustration and despair.

She smiled, not knowing my internal thoughts and self-degrading issues. Her thoughts on the other hand were pleased to hear me laughing for once, but she didn't turn from her work. "You really care for her, don't you?" She asked softly after a moment, glancing up to me with a tender expression.

I looked at her seriously for a minute before I answered, for getting all of my negative thoughts and feelings. "Yes," I relented, "I really do. I just want to be able to do something to help her, even if it means putting up with the smell of human food. It's a small price to pay for such a worthy cause."

"Edward," she chided at my failed attempt with poor humour, "You have done a lot for her. Gaining her trust like that and being there to support, encourage and comfort her is a very big thing. You're the one she trusts the most; that must tell you something. You are helping her heal, even if you don't believe it."

I grinned slightly, reassured and uplifted by the thought that I was able to do something for the angel that no one else could do, just because it was me that she trusted. I had no idea why she did, but I was grateful for that fact.

"Go on, go up and see her. I'll bring this up when it's finished," she chuckled upon seeing my mildly giddy expression. I shot her a small but bright smile and dashed up the stairs towards my room—all negative thoughts abandoned.

Pausing, I listened carefully into the room from my vantage point on the last few steps before her floor. I knew she was awake already from the small signs: her breathing and heart rate and the rustle of skin against fabric. I smiled to myself in anticipation.

Thanks to my talk with Carlisle and my siblings in the night and Esme this morning, I was feeling much lighter. There was still the worry, of course, which would undoubtedly remain until she was giving the full health sign, but now it was pushed back, no longer the main focus of my mind.

It was better just to think about the now and focus on one thing at a time and right now that was getting the girl to eat even just a little bit. With that thought, I strode up to the closed door and quietly turned the handle.

The angel looked up as I let the door drift shut behind me. A tiny smile twitched the corners of her lips when she saw me, the worry leaving her eyes as she relaxed. I guessed she had thought it was someone else, though I knew no one would enter without me, knowing how distrusting the girl was.

"Hey," I whispered in greeting, smiling as she blinked at me in a movement I was coming to recognise as her own personal greeting. Slowly, I moved over to the bed and took my usual position as her eyes followed my path across the room.

With my left hand, I carefully took hold of one of her smaller, more delicate ones and rubbed soothing circles into the smooth, pale skin on the back. My smile softened as I raised my other hand to run it through her hair, savouring the feel of the thick, brown lock flowing through my fingers.

The angel closed her eyes and smiled slightly at the motion. Her response encouraged me to continue my actions as I watched and listened attentively to her, making sure she wasn't getting stressed.

Her breathing was deep and even, perfectly relaxed as I held her hand silently. I didn't feel the need to talk, simply enjoying the peace and happiness I always felt when in her presence. Her silence as well made it easier for me to remain quiet and she didn't seem to mind, though I knew she was always interested or curious whenever I spoke.

It made me strangely pleased to know that she liked listening to me, to what I had to say, as if it was somehow important to her. Even when she had been afraid there was still that spark of interest in her chocolate eyes when I talked.

I couldn't explain the feeling I had whenever I was near her, the way even the thought of her made my heart lift with happiness. In all of my decades as a vampire I had never felt as I do now and I didn't know what to think about it.

One the one hand, I was happy and willing to enjoy the emotions evoked by her. But on the other, I was terrified of the effect this girl had on me. I had barely met her and I knew absolutely nothing about her, but she still managed to captivate me.

I looked down to her peaceful and beautiful face. Alice's words floated into my head again. _You love her..._I knew that I felt differently to her than to anyone else, including my family, but did that mean I loved her? No, I thought. _Not yet,_ my mind retorted.

I cringed at myself. Even if I did fall in love with her, she wouldn't love me back. She could never love a monster like me. But if she did; what then? I shook my head, not allowing myself to entertain those thoughts. She was human and she deserved a proper life, once she was better.

For a moment I was overcome with self hatred, but then I remembered that she trusted me. For whatever reason, this angel had chosen to trust me when she had more than enough reason to never trust anyone again. Pride briefly flitted through me, warming my heart. It was me she trusted, I thought with wonder.

The hand that was absently running through her hair moved to cup her warm cheek, feeling the soft skin beneath my palm; like silk over glass. I liked the analogy, it showed how fragile yet precious she was, like a porcelain doll.

The girl opened her eyes and blinked at me with the subtle light of the life returning to her spirit glowing behind the deep brown colour. I smiled warmly at her and her eyes seemed to smile back while her lips merely twitched minutely.

Esme knocked at the door then, breaking me from the contact that had established between us. The angel immediately tensed as her eyes darted towards the door and the guard came up in her eyes, turning them flat.

"Shh," I comforted her, stroking her arm gently. She flicked her gaze back to me warily as I made soothing noises and I squeezed her hand to keep her attention on me. "You're fine," I whispered, "It's just my mother. She won't even come in if you don't want it, okay?"

She took a deep breath and released it as she nodded her head, her expression relieved. I realised that while she was trusting of me, others still made her cautious, especially those she hadn't met. Hopefully that would change with time, once she was physically better and could start healing properly.

I smiled again as I slipped off the bed, being careful not to jostle her too much, and opened the door to talk to my mother. Esme gave me a sad smile as I stepped outside. I knew she wanted to meet the girl, but she understood my reasons for not allowing her at the moment.

"I brought this up," she lifted the plate, "It's only one slice, but I cut it up into smaller pieces. Carlisle suggested that it would be easier for her to eat it that way."

"Thank you, Esme," I said gratefully. I was lucky to have someone so thoughtful in my life. She was definitely the perfect mother figure and I hoped that the angel would come to see that.

Esme handed me the plate while she glanced towards the partially opened bedroom door. "Poor thing," she murmured under her breath to herself, "She doesn't deserve to be in this condition. Whoever did this to her should pay in the fiery pits of hell."

I was shocked at her words, surprised that the usually caring woman would wish that on anyone, but I more than understood. I felt the same way and Esme was already seeing the girl as another child she was taking under her wing. She wanted to protect her and look after her.

"I know," I agreed. As I was turning to go back into the room, Carlisle called to me in his thoughts from downstairs. _Edward, be careful with her. Don't try and force her to eat anything, if you can't persuade her. You're the only one she trusts and I don't want either of us to lose that connection; it's the only thing allowing us to get close to her._

"Of course," I answered for his benefit. I wouldn't force her to do anything anyway. I didn't think I could bear seeing her be forced to do something against her will, even if it was for her own good. But I knew if she didn't eat we would have to do something if we didn't want to lose her.

I ignored that last thought, not wanting to think about _'what if's'_ and instead said another thank you to Esme and went back to the angel.

She was lying exactly as I had left her and she looked up curiously when I entered. I saw her tentatively sniff the air and then give a wary look to the plate in my hand. Clearly, I wasn't going to be able to hide my intentions any longer, I thought as I sat on the edge of the bed, facing her.

"You need to eat to gain your strength, Angel," I explained softly, brushing her hair back with my hand. She squinted at me, looking pained as she shook her head. I was startled, not expecting her emphatic response, and then I was saddened; clearly this was not going to be easy.

"Please, Angel," I whispered, dropping my hand down to her arm so I could gently rub her shoulder. "Just a few bites," I said persuasively. If I could just get her to eat a small amount for now, it would be enough.

The girl stared at me for a moment, seeming dazed, but then she snapped out of it and shook her head again, turning to bury her head in the pillow. I recognised this as a way to avoid contact with me, to separate her from me, but I couldn't allow her to do that if I was going to try and help her.

Quickly, I put the plate down and rolled to lie beside her, stroking her hair. "Look at me, Angel," I said quietly. She trembled slightly, but after a moment she raised her head to stare at me with her desperate and miserable brown eyes. The pad of my thumb delicately traced her cheekbone and she closed her eyes.

I looked at her for a moment, evaluating her. "Why won't you eat, Angel?" I asked softly, keeping my hand running soothing motions over her skin. I suddenly thought of what had happened the last time she had eaten. Was that why? I wondered. "Is it because of last time?" I questioned hesitantly.

The angel opened her eyes and blinked once, turning to look at me fully. Slowly, she gave me a cautious nod. Happy that I knew the problem, I tried to reassure her. "It will get better," I soothed, stroking her hair again, "You just need to start eating slowly and let yourself adjust."

She didn't seem to agree as she just shook her head, letting out a defeated sigh and turning her head so the side of her face pressed into the pillow. Her eyes closed and my heart panged at how miserable and lonely she seemed.

"Please, Angel," I tried again, hoping I could persuade her gently, but she let out a small, unthreatening growl into the pillow cover as her shoulders slumped slightly. She looked so defeated, as she lay there, not even capable of defending herself or fighting me off if I decided to make her eat by any means necessary. Not that I would even dare try, my mother would rip me to pieces for even entertaining the thought.

How much had she been forced to suffer? I thought as I continued stroking my fingers through the girl's hair, trying to work out some way to make her feel better.

"I'm not going to force you to eat anything," I said finally, hooking my forefinger around her chin to gently turn her face in my direction. She peeked at me, seeing that I meant what I said, and then she gave a small smile in relief, her eyes glowing in a subtle way that made me lose my breath.

This girl did strange things to me, but I wasn't sure that I entirely disliked it. I only hoped that she could be made better. I prayed for it.

A/N: So here is the next chapter, for your reading pleasure!

Please Review!


	20. Chapter 20

I Own Nothing Twilight

Chapter 19 – A Bright Thing (EPOV)

I hadn't said anything since I stopped trying to get her to eat. I felt as if I had failed her, as if I should have tried harder to help her. But then again, Carlisle did warn me not to push her too hard and I didn't want to do anything to damage the new bond forming between us. I didn't think I could bear that.

The girl looked down at her hands, nervously fiddling with her fingers. She wouldn't look me in the eye and I wondered if she still feared that I would force her to eat. I had promised her I wouldn't, but maybe she needed more assurance than that.

Cautiously, I covered her much smaller hands with one of my own, halting her anxious movements. She glanced up at me hesitantly, biting her lip as a worried frown creased her forehead. Her eyes glistened slightly and I was alarmed at the sight of her in near tears.

"Hey, it's alright," I soothed, my hand lifting to catch the drop of moisture as it fell. I stared at it with sudden fascination; the light from the window sparkling from the rounded surface. Slowly, I drew my finger to my mouth without really thinking about what I was doing.

I tasted it on the tip of my tongue. Exactly like her scent, I marvelled as I hummed in pleasure at the sensation of my taste buds feeling like they were exploding. It was magnificent and so much richer than just her smell, though with the added taste of salt.

The girl's eyes widened in surprise at my sudden action and even I was surprised. I didn't know what to think of what I had just done, so unfamiliar the sudden desire to taste her scent had been.

Her brown eyes were watching me curiously as I slowly lowered my hand from my mouth, feeling embarrassed. I probed her expression, noting that she didn't seem wary or disgusted despite my odd behaviour, merely interested.

Briefly, I wondered what her silent mind was picking up about me. Did she see my strangeness, the things that set me apart from humanity? If she did, what did she think about it? She didn't seem to be afraid...

She moved her hand beneath mine and brought my attention back to the comforting hand I had laid over hers. I thought she was pulling it away and a peculiar sense of loss built in my chest, but she simply readjusted its position, turning it over so her palm was facing up. Relief and happiness flooded me with warmth, driving away the emptiness of the loss.

I wrapped my hand around her small fingers gently, giving her a soft smile. She returned it with her own uncertain smiled as she cast her eyes down to our joined hands. Keeping her hand in my left one, I raised my other to thread it into her silky hair.

I started humming the melody to her lullaby as I stroked her hair soothingly, the notes already familiar in my perfect memory. The song fitted her, I thought, a representation of her lost and vulnerable soul. At least, that was how I saw her.

The girl sighed contentedly and relaxed into the mattress as her eyes fluttered closed. I watched as she drew in a deep breath, seeming to be catching my scent. Did she enjoy it as much as I enjoyed her own flowery fragrance? I couldn't help the smile that broke out on my face as I thought that.

It occurred to me randomly that she didn't know anything about my family. Perhaps knowing something about them might help her feel more comfortable around them. Of course, I knew I would have to adjust the details to make us appear more human, but maybe I could tell her things in a way so that I didn't have to lie.

While I was distracted in my thoughts, I didn't notice that the girl had opened her eyes again and was staring at me with a small, concerned frown. I realised that I had stopped humming and that she was probably wondering what was wrong.

I smiled at her reassuringly and continued to brush her hair back. "I was just thinking," I trailed off, looking down at her face to gauge her reaction. Her expression was open and curious as she waited quietly to hear what I would say. "I never really told you anything about my family."

Her expression changed as soon as I mentioned my family, becoming more hesitant as a tiny furrow formed on her brow. "Shh," I hushed her quietly before she could stress further, erasing the mark with the pad of my thumb.

"I only want to tell you some things about them," I explained quickly, squeezing her hand gently and making sure my face was earnest as I spoke. She seemed easily reassured on other occasions with my features.

She soon relaxed as she realised she wouldn't have to meet any of them, though I knew that would come in time. Her chocolate eyes became curious again and I allowed myself a small smile at the sight.

I ran a hand through my hair as I thought about where to start. "I already told you I was adopted," I began, looking down to see if she remembered. She nodded promptly in answer, her eyes persuading me to go on. I smiled again, enjoying her interest and the way it brightened her brown eyes.

"I have four siblings, all adopted," I told her, "I've already mentioned Emmett. He's the jokester of the family, but you can't help but love him, even if he is a pain in the ass sometimes." I smiled wryly to myself as I remembered some of Emmett's relentless teasing. He loved tormenting me through his thoughts where no one else could hear but me.

"My sister, Alice, you've already met," I squeezed the girl's hand when she frowned, guessing she was thinking about her encounter with the small pixie vampire. "She's a perky little thing with an obsession for clothes and fashion. It takes awhile to get used to her energy, but she's great fun, really," I chuckled, "She can certainly liven up any party."

The angel tilted her head and smiled slightly with me. I wondered curiously what she was thinking, disheartened when I still couldn't read her thoughts. I should get used to it, I berated myself; it wasn't like it was going to change any time soon. But if I had to get used to it, did that mean I wanted her to stay? Of course, I had already admitted that I didn't want to let her go.

A nudge on my hand reminded me that I was supposed to be talking to the girl, not getting distracted. I shook my head and focused back on her beautiful face. "Jasper, my other brother, is very solitary," I said carefully, not wanting to offend my siblings, who I knew were likely listening to what I had to say, "He mostly just likes to be with us, his family rather than other people."

The reason for that was because he didn't trust his control to be around humans as much as us, so he limited the contact to school hours only. That was also why he was keeping his distance from the girl, in case he slipped. He would certainly pay if he did, I promised darkly.

"He tag teams with Emmett a lot," I continued speaking, shaking of my thoughts, "They bet a lot, on practically anything at all, really. And they like to wrestle as well, though it's usually Jasper who wins."

I paused briefly before telling her about my other sibling, remembering Rose's reaction to the girl when we first brought her back. She had eased up since then, even paying a visit to us in this room, but I was still uncertain about her opinion.

"Rosalie...well, she's very strong headed at times, likes to get her point across. But she's very protective of her family, she'd do whatever she had to if she thought she had to defend us," that was a very redeeming quality for her. For all her flaws, I knew she did care for us, regardless of her attitude towards us sometimes.

The girl nodded thoughtfully and I was suddenly nervous, pondering what she would make of my family, what she would think about us. She saw me watching her and smiled a bit, tightening her hand weakly in mine.

My expression relaxed and I smiled back at her, happy to see that she didn't look at me any differently. I felt mildly foolish for my reaction. Why would I be worried about what she thought of me? I didn't want to admit it, but her opinion mattered to me, especially if it was about me.

I heard my mother outside the door and tuned into her mind curiously. _What will I say? I know Edward is protective of her, he probably doesn't want her being upset and I know she's nervous around other people. Is Alice right? Maybe I shouldn't do this...Oh, but I really want to see her, she looked so vulnerable..._

From what I could gather, Alice had suggested that she come up to talk to the girl; that it would be good for her in some way. But Esme was worried that she would push the girl away accidently or that I wouldn't want her being near her. She worried too much, but admittedly, I was anxious about leaving the girl alone with her.

But it wasn't because I didn't trust her, I did, it was just that I wanted to be there to soothe and comfort the girl. I wondered if Alice had seen something and if that was the reason behind convincing Esme to do this.

Esme eventually knocked quietly on the wooden door, but even that soft sound was enough for the girl. She instantly tensed, a small, hardly audible growl escaping, but it was a defensive and not aggressive sound.

I held both of her hands tightly in one of mine while I stroked her hair. Unlike before she didn't look at me immediately, still glaring warily at the unopened door until I moulded my hand to her cheek. She moved her gaze onto me, calming slightly as she was met with my soothing expression.

"It's just my mother," I spoke very quietly, trying not to startle her further, "She wants to see you, but I promise you, Angel, that no one will hurt you, especially not her. I won't let anyone hurt you, Angel." I felt exposed as I revealed that to her, but it had the desired effect as her eyes softened and she relaxed.

Keeping my eyes on her brown ones, I called over my shoulder, "Come in!" My mother slowly opened the door and as soon as she did, the angel shifted to stare at her. I watched her cautiously as she took in the appearance of the gentle, caramel-haired woman.

The girl stayed very still, but she didn't growl or try to shuffle away from her or closer to me, which was a more positive response. Her eyes remained trained on my mother as she slowly approached us, keeping a reasonable distance from the bed. Alice or Carlisle had probably warned her about getting too close too soon, I noted.

The air was tense as we both evaluated her reaction to having my mother in the room. Esme glanced from me to her and back again, trying to see what she wanted me to do. I warned her with my eyes to stay stationary.

After a few long moments, in which the girl's expression went from wary, to confused, to relieved, she finally relaxed and turned her head back to me. I smiled at her, pleased that she hadn't reacted badly to my mother's sudden presence, and proceeded with the introductions.

"Angel, this is my mother, Esme," I said softly, brushing a free strand of hair behind her ear. She looked up at the older woman to give her a tiny smile.

And that tiny smile was probably the best thing I had ever seen.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 20 – Mothering Instinct (EsPOV)

I waited anxiously after I knocked on the door. I wanted to see the girl desperately, but I questioned if I was doing the right thing. From what Carlisle and Edward had said about her, she was easily frightened by other people and I didn't want to do anything to scare her off.

Alice had told me it was fine and that I should go for it and I took her assurance as a going ahead; she did see the future after all. But Edward was the closest to the girl, so surely he should have had a say in my visit.

Edward's call of, "Come in," interrupted my worried thoughts and I cautiously opened the door. The girl's eyes were wide and fearful, trained on me, as I walked into the room. The deep brown colour of them shone brightly as she gazed up at me. Edward was quiet by her side, watching her attentively after sending me a message with his eyes.

I couldn't help but admire how caring my son was around her, so tender towards her. And she was very beautiful, despite the dark circles apparent beneath her eyes and the unhealthy pallor of her skin.

We both waited as the girl continued to stare at me wide eyed. Finally, she slowly relaxed and turned her inquiring eyes to Edward. I breathed a silent sigh of relief as my son smiled at her.

"Angel, this is my mother, Esme," he explained to her softly in his velvet voice. I smiled at his name for her, but I knew he wished more than any of us to know her real name. But none of us knew anything about her.

She blinked at him, in a message of understanding, and lifted her head to face me. For a moment she just looked at me, but then she gave me a small, tentative smile. I smiled back at her, hoping to comfort her in some way.

"Hello, dear," I said, keeping my voice calming and quiet, "It's wonderful to meet you."

The girl paused briefly at my words, tilting her head, before she gave another tiny smile and slight nod of the head. She was so sweet and innocent, I thought. Even though she wouldn't speak for whatever reason, she was still acknowledging me in her own way.

The corner of Edward's mouth lifted at my thought and he stroked the girl's hair with his hand. His other, I noticed, was clasping hers tightly. It was surprising how she accepted and trusted him so quickly and easily.

Emmett and Jasper had spoken of how terrified she was when they found her, growling at them as they tried to near her, and Carlisle had informed us all of her physical condition. But even though she appeared to trust Edward, she was still clearly afraid of the rest of us and she had yet to speak a single word.

I looked to Edward quickly. _I'm sorry for just coming in here,_ I thought, _I was waiting downstairs and Alice came up to me, suggesting that I come up here. I don't know what she had planned for this._

He nodded his head to me with a small smile. "Did she have a vision?" He asked, speaking too quietly for the girl to be able to hear.

_No, not that I know of, _I told him, _but she could have easily had one and not told anyone._ Alice was known for keeping things to herself if she thought it would interfere with the future and we all understood that.

Through our exchange, the child kept her eyes on us and now she glanced at Edward with a curious expression. I wondered if she had noticed out silent communication somehow. She seemed quite perceptive and intelligent from the depth of her eyes.

Edward looked down at her and smiled, playing with her hair. The girl didn't seem to have any problem with the action, if anything his proximity seemed to be a comfort to her.

I quietly moved closer to the bed and took a seat on the foot of it. The girl tensed again and the sound of her heart beat increased. I paused and Edward's free hand hovered over her arm, ready to soothe her.

But the reaction proved to be unnecessary as she managed to calm herself down. Edward eased up as well, but stayed close to her. I couldn't help but notice how everything he did revolved around her in some way. It cemented my hope that my first son might have finally found someone to be with just a little bit more.

_Do you think it would be okay if I talked to her for a bit?_ I asked, wanting to make sure it would be okay because he knew her better than me.

He smiled and nodded slightly, gazing back down at her with adoration. I felt a swell of motherly affection at the look on his face and a smile crept onto my face unbidden.

"We've all been worried about you, dear," I said, turning back to the fragile human child on the bed. She stared at me with a small frown on her pallid face. I was confused, not understanding her response.

Edward frowned as well at seeing the look on her face. He reached out and touched the furrow with one finger. Instantly, it smoothed out and her head rolled to the side to face him.

The way she stared up at him was reminiscent of how he had looked at her earlier. They were both meant for each other, I just knew it; somehow it would work out.

"They all want to know how you're doing," I continued as if I hadn't seen their interaction, though I smiled inside at their play of affection. "And they want you to get better," I added, "So do I."

She flicked a glance up to Edward and he ran his thumb across the back of her hand. It was difficult to hold a conversation with someone when you were the only one talking, but now I wondered if her trust in my son was more to do with the subtle, physical gestures they exchanged.

Edward looked at me in surprise, most likely having caught my last thought, to my embarrassment. _It was just a thought, Edward, _I thought to him, not wanting to have him upset with me for analysing and commenting on his behaviour with the girl.

But he didn't seem upset, more contemplative. Perhaps he thought my suggestion was more accurate than I had intended. He nodded vaguely, but didn't say anything.

Instead, he turned back down to the girl and picked up my conversation. "They keep asking for check-ups on you," he said carefully. He was clearly trying not to overwhelm her, another thing to admire.

She blinked at him and cocked her head curiously. Edward smiled to himself as he responded, as though she had asked something verbally. "Yes, they've all taken an interest in you, especially Alice," he spoke softly, "I think she wants to see you as a sister."

I knew that my youngest daughter already did see her as a sister, but I wasn't going to say anything. She got a peculiar look on her face as her eyes blanked out. She looked like she was remembering something.

She stayed like that for a few minutes and I could feel Edward growing more anxious as he shifted beside her. Eventually, he gave up being patient and gently shook her shoulder. "Angel?" He called worriedly.

She snapped out of it as soon as he touched her and she shook her head lightly, as if to clear it. I watched sadly as she smiled at him, obviously trying to reassure him, but I wondered what she had been thinking about.

I wanted nothing more than to pull the small girl to me to hug her and comfort her. But I knew I couldn't do that because she didn't trust me enough yet. I would just have to change that, given time, and I hoped I would have the opportunity.

The girl blinked heavily, suddenly looking very tired. Edward stroked her hair, humming slightly, and her mouth opened in a tiny yawn as her body relaxed.

"You're tired," Edward noted, speaking to her softly. She only blinked at him sleepily, like a very young and endearing child. He moved back from her a bit and I saw her frown at him, her expression slightly worried and then she glanced at me.

"I think we'll let you rest," Edward said quietly, laying a hand on her cheek. "You need to sleep." He seemed reluctant to leave her and I understood that. She was vulnerable and afraid and he wanted to protect her.

She yawned again, her eyes falling shut before she struggled to open them again. "Shh," Edward hushed, rhythmically smoothing her hair back as he started humming softly. I recognised the song as the one he had been composing on the piano earlier.

A lullaby, I realised. He had made it for her. And it was serving its purpose. The girl's eyes were drooping as she stared blearily at him. Slowly, she began to succumb to the sleep her body desperately needed and her eyes slid shut.

Edward kept singing and stroking her hair, his eyes trained on her peaceful face. They both looked so beautiful together; my son gently soothing the poor, lost girl. I could see the connection between them, even if they were unaware. She was relying on Edward and he was taking his responsibility seriously.

I tried to keep my thoughts to myself so I didn't put Edward off. I knew how insistent he was about being fine on his own and I didn't want to cause him to draw back now when he was so close to falling in love. I wasn't sure if he could even separate himself from her anymore.

Edward pulled the blue blanket up over her shoulders, carefully wrapping her up so he didn't disturb her. Then he surprised me, and I'm sure his self as well, by leaning down and tenderly kissing her on the forehead.

He lingered there for a moment before pulling back and lightly stroking her face. He stayed there for a further minute before clambering off the bed and standing straight beside it. His gaze never once left her sleeping form.

I stood as well and moved over to him. He looked up as I approached and smiled slightly. Though he looked dazed, I was ecstatically happy to see the content, peaceful expression on his face. It was one I had not seen before and was much preferable to the scowl he usually bore.

I smiled back, placing a hand on his shoulder. No words were said as he looked down to the girl once more as he silently picked up the plate left on the bedside table and led the way to the door. I followed him after casting the unaware young girl a soft, loving look.

"She's so fragile," I fretted when he closed the door. It had worried me when I saw the state of her as Edward carried her into the house, but now, having seen her, I really understood what we were all worried about. This girl was going to need a lot of recuperating.

Edward sighed. "I know, Esme," he shook his head, "Believe me, I know." He looked back at the door to his room where the girl was sleeping soundly and then down to the plate in his hand.

I noticed that it was still full, exactly as I had given to him. "She didn't eat anything then," I guessed sadly.

"No," he whispered, staring at it despondently. "I tried, honestly I did. But I don't know what to do short of forcing her and I can't do that," he said desperately, "I can't do that to her, Esme. And...God, Esme, I'm just so worried about her." He looked like he was about to cry.

"Hey," I comforted, placing my arms around him in a motherly embrace. His own strong arms came around my waist and held me as his head rested on my shoulder. "It's going to be okay, Edward," I tried to assure him, "She'll get better and everything will work out fine."

I pulled back, keeping my hands on him to hold him at arm's length as I inspected his tense and worried face. "It'll be fine, trust me," I told him.

He smiled and gave me another hug. "Thank you, _mom_," he whispered so quietly that I am sure I was the only one that heard him say it. "And thank you for talking to her. She likes to listen to me talk and I think that might be a good way to get her used to other people. She was more relaxed with you than she had been with Alice or Carlisle. Must be your motherly ways," he chuckled with more volume.

I laughed too, but I was delighted to have been able to help in some small way. "You're more than welcome and so is she," I answered. I would do anything for any of my children and that included the young fragile girl, my dear sweet Edward had taken a liking and protective nature too.

_Maybe something more than just a liking _to_,_ my heart still heart whispered.

"Thank you," Edward gave me his slightly crooked smile, "I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

I just smiled again. I believed that she would, but right now she was fearful. In time she would get better and become part of the family properly. And a part of Edward's life, permanently. A mother's instincts were never wrong.


	22. Chapter 22

I Own Nothing Twilight

Chapter 21 – Everything Will Be Okay (EPOV)

I sat at my piano, playing the lullaby I had made for the girl. I still hadn't gotten any further with its creation, so it was yet to be finished, but I found it soothing all the same. My thoughts were busy reflecting on what happened last night as my fingers followed the familiar melody.

The girl had responded well to Esme, not surprising considering my mother's caring nature. She literally radiated safety and comfort. It made me wonder if I should have thought of it before. But then again, she probably wouldn't have responded as well if she hadn't trusted me.

I was pleased to see her interaction with my mother, but a small part of me was jealous. I knew it was ridiculous and I squashed it down. If I wanted to see her get better, which I did, I would need to allow her to grow with other people.

And besides, she still looked to me for assurance last night. Just because she interacted with other people didn't mean I would lose my connection with her. I relaxed and then shook my head at myself.

My thoughts were haywire around the girl. I didn't know why I wanted to mean something to the girl so much, it didn't make sense. And my thoughts weren't the only things surprising me now.

I don't know what possessed me to kiss her like that, even if it was only on her forehead. But as she had lain there, she looked so peaceful, almost ethereal. It was beautiful, she was beautiful and innocent. Her skin looked so soft and smooth on her relaxed face and seeing it I couldn't help but lean in.

Feeling her skin beneath my lips was incredible. Her heat had seared against my skin and I had felt a much stronger version of the electricity that usually flowed between us. I still had no idea as to what that was about, but I didn't want it to ever go away.

I smiled slightly and paused in my playing to touch my fingers to my lips. They tingled lightly at the memory of my soft touch to her. What would it be like to kiss her mou- No, I stopped that thought immediately.

I shouldn't be thinking things like that. Not only would it be taking advantage of my poor angel in her condition, but it would also be highly dangerous. Regardless of whether her blood held no draw to my vampuric side, it would be risky for me to be so close.

Even as I _tried_ to convince myself, I knew that my justifications were pointless. I had had no problems being close with her thus far, so there was no reason to assume that would change in the future. If nothing untoward had happened when I kissed her before, despite my mouth, my _teeth_, being so close to her delicate skin then it was likely nothing ever would.

But that didn't mean that it was right for me to kiss her. I would only do that if she wanted it as well and that I was sure it was what she wanted. I sighed deeply, suddenly wishing that I could have that chance.

I was surprised at myself. I had never had the desire to be with someone before and now with this girl stirring up all of these strange feelings inside of me, I was being left confused. I didn't know what to think or what to do for the best.

For now, I would just have to continue with the way things are. I certainly had no intention of abandoning the girl; I didn't think I could live with myself if I ever did that to her. So, I would stay and look after her. And hopefully, she would get better.

Her future after that, though, was uncertain. Alice thought that she would become part of our family, but she couldn't see the future well enough to tell. There were too many possibilities for the girl who we didn't even know was going to survive.

For all we knew, she had a family out there who were desperately searching for her. If that was so, then it was only natural that she returned to them. She needed to be with a family that loved her, not that we didn't, but it was better for her to be with her own family. The thought of her leaving made my chest hurt.

It was no use speculating, however. We knew nothing about her so we couldn't just guess and say it was true. All that mattered right now was that she was in our care and we had to look after her. That was all I was going to focus on, I determined.

I continued playing her lullaby, wishing I could show this to her properly, and was surprised when I went past the point I was usually stopped at. Excited by the progress, I carried on with the flow of the new notes. I was disappointed when I didn't get much further than a few bars, but it was more than I had been able to accomplish since I hit the block so I was satisfied. I couldn't wait for it to be finished, though.

My hands dropped to my lap as I let out a sigh. Hopefully, that would be soon, I thought. I looked up when Carlisle came into the room with a smile on his face. He had obviously heard me playing. Not that I should be surprised as everyone in the house would hear me with their super hearing. "That was very beautiful, Edward," he complimented.

I nodded and smiled at my mentor, not saying what I thought in that moment: it was beautiful because she was beautiful. It was inspired my angel, after all.

_It's for her, isn't it?_ He thought, astutely. I wasn't sure if it was because he figured it out for himself or if he had been talking to Esme, who I knew had made the realisation. My head ducked in embarrassment, but he merely chuckled lightly at me, not saying what I knew he was considering.

I gave him a disapproving frown and he quickly hid his thoughts from me. Not before I caught his last one, though. _He must really like her..._I shrugged it away and gestured for him to join me as a distraction.

He took a seat perched on the edge of the bench beside me and I turned to face him, raising an eyebrow curiously. He let out a heavy sigh, immediately making me straighten as I knew he was about to talk about something serious.

"Edward, you know the girl has not shown any improvement, physically," he said carefully.

I frowned at him, already not liking where this conversation was going. Cautiously, I nodded in assent. Other than her behaviour, nothing had changed in her condition as of yet. She had not gotten better, but at least she had not gotten worse, either.

"She has not eaten or drunk anything in the days she has been here," he reminded me, his eyes unhappy but serious, "Other than the one time where she was not able to keep it down. And she refused to eat when you offered her food after."

He stopped to rub his palm over his face; a human gesture that showed me how worried he was. I urged him to continue, trying not to think of my own worry, and he did.

"Edward, I have to say that I am worried about her chances of survival." If possible, it felt as if my heart could beat right out of my chest and the anxiety crept up on me. "If we don't manage to get some fluids into her soon, I'm almost certain we'll lose her," he carried on, eyeing me sympathetically. He knew how much I had taken to this girl.

I swallowed heavily and looked at him with a sense of desperation. "What do you suggest we do?" I asked. He had to do something. I couldn't bear the thought of not being able to save her. She had to live.

Carlisle stared at me for a moment. I knew he was worried about what I would think, but if it meant I could save my angel then I was more than willing to do whatever it took. He must have seen that in my face as he started to answer.

"I want to put her on an IV. I think if we can replace some of the fluids in her body, we'll give her a fighting chance," he explained. "After that, then we'll have to see about getting something solid into her."

I nodded in understanding. I knew from my experience in medical school that an IV was the fastest way to rehydrate a patient. A needle would have to be inserted directly into a vein in the arm and I worried about the distress it would cause my angel.

She would most likely have to be restrained in order for the needle to be put in and I knew that would fall to me. I hoped that her trust in me would still exist after this.

"I think you should also return this to her," my father added, holding up the little gold locket in his hand. "I'm sure she's missing it," he smiled kindly at me as he placed it carefully into the palm of my outstretched hand.

I turned it over in my fingers, reading over the inscription again, and looked up to him. "Did you find anything?" I asked hopefully. I wanted to know if we could find her family, even if the thought of her leaving made my chest ache.

Sadly, he shook his head. "No," he sighed regretfully, "There wasn't really much to go on, not even a name or a signature. And nothing to tell me who those photos were of, either. I'm sorry, Edward."

I frowned in disappointment, but I understood that it had been a long shot that we'd find anything. It didn't help that this was the only thing that could possibly tell us what we needed to know, outside of the girl herself.

"It's not your fault," I assured him. I know that he tried. He wouldn't want her to go without being reunited with her family and he had had experience with tracking down relatives of his patients.

He laid a hand on my arm. "Why don't you go up to her?" He suggested, "I'm going to get the things I need ready before I come in, but I think it better that you're there before I arrive."

I agreed and stood from my seat, tucking the girl's necklace into my pocket for later. It didn't take me long to reach the door to her room in my eagerness. Quietly, I opened the door and slipped inside, looking automatically over to the bed.

I paused and then smiled softly when I saw that she was still asleep, curled up peacefully under her blanket, her breathing slow and steady. Her hair was splayed across her forehead and I moved forward silently to brush it aside, my fingers lightly sweeping her skin.

With great care, I sat beside her, trying not to move the bed, and then stretched out so I was lying down, facing her. I ran my hand gently down the side of her face and cupped my palm to her cheek, softly. She shifted in her sleep and a small smile twitched at her lips. How endearing, I thought, grinning to myself.

"Angel," I whispered, calling to her. My thumb stroked her cheekbone and she turned her face into my palm. I smiled again and moved my hand down to her shoulder, giving her a small shake to rouse her.

She flinched from the sudden movement and her eyes snapped open frantically. "Shh, it's only me," I murmured delicately. She blinked at me blearily for a moment, a tiny frown in her brow, before it smoothed and she smiled slightly at me. I gave her a smile in return.

"How are you?" I asked tenderly, tucking a lock of her hair back behind her ear. She gave me another blink in response and a minute nod. I was glad that she was okay, but I knew I couldn't delay what needed to happen. I could hear Carlisle preparing himself as well as giving me time with her, to settle her first, but he would come in soon.

I pressed my hand to her cheek as I gazed at her seriously. She seemed to sense something as she frowned at my change. "Angel," I started quietly, "My father is worried that you're dehydrated. I know you've been through something traumatic and your body needs to recover, but for that we really need to get some fluids into you."

She trembled slightly, her eyes becoming worried as she stared at me. I knew she understood what I was trying to say. "I promise you that we waited as long as we could," I told her, "But we can't afford to leave it any longer."

She shook her head at me, silently pleading with her eyes. I wished I could give her what she wanted, but this was what was best for her. "I'm sorry, Angel," I murmured, "I promise, I won't leave you, I'll be here."

Gently, I took her hand in mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She sighed in resignation and turned her head into the pillow, her eyes closing in defeat. "Look at me, please," I said quietly, my fingers threading into her hair.

Hesitantly, she opened her eyes to look at me and my heart lurched as the depth of misery in them. I hated that I had caused that, however unintentional it was. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," I whispered, "If there was another way..."

I felt awful knowing how worried she was about having contact with other people. My father, especially, she seemed nervous around, most likely because he was the one who had had to check her before. She would understandably be wary of him.

She sighed again and gave me the barest of nods. I smiled sadly, wishing there was some other way to comfort her. The door opened as Carlisle walked in and she instantly tensed next to me. "Shh," I shushed her gently, stroking her hair with my hand.

Carlisle looked to me as he approached the bed and I nodded slightly to him, letting him know it was okay to continue. He placed the IV stand and bag down before turning to her. "Okay, darling," he said reassuringly, "Let's just get you onto your back, alright?"

Carefully, he reached out and, with his hands on her shoulders, turned her over. She wriggled against him and I quickly moved my hands in place of his and tried to calm her. Her brown eyes opened and begged for me to stop. My chest clinched at the look she was giving me, but I knew this was for the good. I wouldn't do it if there was another way.

"Shh, Angel, it's okay," I murmured and started humming lightly to her. It didn't have its usual effect, but it was better than nothing.

_Just hold her still, Edward_, my father thought to me, _I need to get this needle in_. I heard him moving around as he found out the needle. The girl watched me closely and I kept singing her song to her, softly.

Carlisle came up beside her, ready to put the needle in. He glanced to me worriedly and I understood that he was as concerned as I was about how she would react. Slowly, he took her thin wrist into his hand, being aware of her injuries.

Automatically, she tugged on it, trying to remove it from his grasp. When he didn't release it, she turned her head to look at him and caught sight of the needle he was preparing. She started panicking and pulling desperately on her arm to escape.

I leaned over her to get her attention and calm her down, but she was lost in her own fear and her heart was pulsing out of control. Carlisle tightened his grip slightly and she tossed her body away from him, thrashing violently.

I was afraid she would hurt herself with the ferocity of her movements, so I clasped her arms to her body as gently as I could with her violence. "Shh, Angel, shh, it's okay," I whispered frantically, "Calm down, you're okay. It's alright."

She didn't appear to hear me as she continued to thrash. "Carlisle," I stressed. She was going to hurt herself if she carried on like this.

I didn't know what to do, she had never been this bad before and nothing I did seemed to be working. The angel whimpered as she struggled. My father gave up on holding her arm and moved to her legs as she kicked wildly. "Angel, just settle down," I tried again. She didn't listen and her back arched off the bed as she twisted unnaturally.

She was definitely going to injure something with the way she was going. And then all of a sudden, her body fell limp against the mattress, a glazed look in her eyes. I felt a brief moment of panic flare up in me before I realised someone else had entered the room.

"What's going on here?" Jasper's southern voice floated over me. I sensed the waves of calm he was sending out over my angel and felt grateful towards him."She was sending out massive amounts of fear and panic so I came up to see if I could help," he explained.

"Thank you, Jasper," Carlisle said, relief clear in his tone. I kept my eyes locked onto her clouded, brown ones and she stared back at me, though her eyes were unfocused. My fingers combed through her hair, hoping to ease the fear I could still see there, even if her struggling had ceased.

With the girl lying as still as she was now, Carlisle quickly inserted the needle into her left arm, just above the bandage so he didn't disturb the damaged tissue. Surprisingly, the scent of her exposed blood as the needle pierced her skin didn't cause the usual fire to flare up in my throat, though I heard Jasper cut off his breathing behind me.

He set the stand up beside the bed and my eyes followed the path of the wire until I saw the end disappear into her arm. I winced slightly, imagining how the girl would react if she saw that.

She was obviously still conscious, though only barely, and I didn't like that she was still suffering. "Put her out, Jasper, please," I whispered quietly. I didn't want her in any more pain. At least if she was asleep, she wouldn't have to be aware and she could calm down properly.

He didn't say anything, but I heard him as he sent her a wave of exhaustion and her eyes soon started flickering. "Go on, just sleep, Angel," I encouraged. It didn't take long for her eyes to close and I listened to her breathing even out, indicating she was fully asleep. "Thank you, Jasper," I said gratefully.

"No problem, bro," he said softly, "I reckon she needs a good rest after all of that." I knew he was right. She hardly had any strength as it was, so it was a lot for her to have been struggling as much as she did.

I saw through Jasper's eyes as he looked over her exhausted body. It was the first time he had seen her since we had taken her back to the house, I realised, and he was just now taking in her appearance. _She looks in really bad condition,_ he evaluated. I sighed, but knew he was right.

_She'll be okay, Edward,_ he looked to me. I nodded slightly, but I didn't entirely believe him. I wouldn't really believe it until I saw it and he understood which was why he didn't say anything to add to it.

"I think we should roll her onto her side," Carlisle said suddenly and I looked to him in confusion. Normally, a patient would be required to lie on their back. "I think she will be kept calmer that way and as long as she is careful and doesn't pull on it or anything, it should be fine," he explained.

It made sense. Usually, she always lay on her side and whenever we tried to turn her, she would fight us. At least this way, she should be calm and I would be here to help as well. I nodded to him and together, we gently turned her back onto her preferred side.

Carlisle arranged the IV drip carefully over her shoulder, making sure that it wouldn't be disturbed. "That should be alright," he said. _As long as she doesn't manage to pull on it, it shouldn't do any harm and she should be more comfortable this way if she's not forced to remain on her back._ "Look after her, Edward," he looked to me seriously.

I nodded. Of course I would look after her. I knew he also meant to make sure she didn't try to remove the saline drip. He smiled at me and then quietly stood back from the bed, giving a final check to his handiwork.

I stroked the side of her peaceful face, looking at her closed eyes. I was aware of the other two slipping quietly out of the room. "It's going to be okay, Angel," I murmured to her unconscious form, "I promise it will be okay."

Please Review!

A/N: So I know I usually only post one chapter but seeming this is my only day off this week I will be posting two chapters today. I know you are all probably super stoked and I am more than happy to keep my readers happy! I also wanted to let you know that this coming JULY will be super hectic for me. My baby bro is getting married and I have a lot of crap to get done and what not. So please bear with me until late July to early August. I will try my hardest to get chapters up as frequently as I possibly can.


	23. Chapter 23

I Own Nothing Twilight

Chapter 22 – Stress (EPOV)

I stayed with her as she slept, gently brushing her hair with my hand. I hoped the soothing action would comfort her even in her unconscious state. She had been out of it for a while, thanks to Jasper's influence, and though I was glad that she couldn't panic or become stressed if she was asleep, I wished she would open her beautiful brown eyes.

Jasper had removed his influence from her almost as soon as she was asleep, but he told me that she was likely to remain unconscious for a few hours. That had been around three hours ago, so I was expecting her to wake soon.

She stirred slightly and her chest expanded as she took a deep breath. I watched her closely, knowing that she was close to waking now, but kept my hand running through her hair

A small frown formed on her face and I longed to smooth it away, though I stayed still so she would not be startled. Her eyes fluttered and slowly, she opened them up to blink at me, sleepily.

"Hey there," I smiled, twirling another strand of her hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ear. She blinked at me and her lips formed a hesitant, shaky smile which I gladly returned. It wasn't long before she found the presence of the needle, though.

Her arm moved and she twitched as she felt the resistance of the IV, her eyes flashing down to the piece of equipment. Faster than I was expecting, her free hand shot out to rip out the needle imbedded in her skin.

As gently as I could, my own hand reached out to grasp hers, restraining her from reaching her target and ultimately injuring herself more. She flinched when I touched her damaged wrist and I winced in sympathy and adjusted my grip slightly without releasing her from my hold.

"It's okay, Angel," I said very softly, trying to be apologetic, "You just need to leave that in there for now. I promise it won't be long before you can have it removed."

She didn't fight me as I moved her hand away and placed it carefully on the bed and she didn't make another move towards the IV either. I looked up and saw that she was frowning at me with sad, pitiful eyes.

I used the tip of my forefinger to tenderly touch the crease between her eyes, watching with fascination as it smoothed out. But my touch didn't remove the look in her eyes that caused my chest to ache in response.

Carefully, I slipped one of my hands into her much smaller one, being wary of the wire protruding from her wrist, and with my other, I cradled the side of her face with my thumb stroking her hair. I hummed a few notes of her lullaby as I stared into her eyes. When she relaxed I stopped and whispered to her, "I promise everything's going to be okay."

She gave me a small smile, but a tiny spot of sadness still lingered in her eyes. I was surprised by the surge of protectiveness that rose inside of me, followed by the helplessness that I couldn't ease her pain; that I was, in fact, causing it.

I stayed silent, holding her hand and tracing invisible patterns on the skin as I thought. It was then that I remembered the locket sitting in my pocket and my eyes lit up. I know the girl saw it as she eyed me curiously and I smiled to her as I reached back into my pocket.

"I have something that I have a feeling you'll want to see," I murmured to her, carefully pulling out the necklace for her to see. Her eyes were on me until the locket came into her view. She switched her gaze to the object before her and I watched the emotions play out on her face.

First, there was surprise, but that quickly flickered to sadness, grief, remorse before finally landing on happiness and hope. She glanced at me swiftly, but then focused on the locket again as I lowered it to place it on the pillow by her head. I waited as she stared at it, until at last her hand reached up and she gingerly picked it up in her fingers.

She cupped it in one of her hands while the other fluttered over the design on the front. Her eyes glistened slightly and I realised that it must be a painful reminder of the life she had before whatever happened to her had happened. I saw her fiddling with the catch, but she didn't seem able to open it.

Her brow furrowed in concentration, but I could see in her eyes she was becoming frustrated and desperate. I felt another pang in my chest as I stretched my hand out, gently placing it in hers as I reached over her fingers to release the catch, my cool skin brushing with hers. Her eyes jumped to mine briefly, but just as soon she was focused on the locket again, only this time it was the photos that she stared at.

I immediately paid more attention to her, curious to see her reaction. She fixated on the two pictures for awhile and I was saddened to see the depth of longing in her face as she tenderly touched underneath each picture with her thumb. It was obvious how much she cared for them and how much she missed them.

If there was any chance that she could be reunited with them, I would make sure it happened, even if it meant losing her. I would do anything to take away that look of sadness in her face, so much so that my own happiness was of little consequence. Despite not knowing anything about her or being able to properly communicate with her, she had become the uninvited focal point of my life. I would do whatever I could to see her happy.

But unfortunately, I couldn't do anything until she spoke to us. We had no way of knowing who her parents were, or even if the two people in the pictures were her parents, until that happened. I sighed quietly, but shrugged the thoughts off, concentrating on the angel before me.

I looked into her face and smiled as I saw a much lighter look on her face: one of love. She looked up at me then and smiled the purest smile I had seen from her yet. It was still small, but it wasn't shaky or just a twitch of her lips, it was a proper smile and one that was reflected in her eyes. I couldn't be more pleased to be the one to bring it to her face.

I smiled back at her brilliantly, shocking her and making her blink in surprise. I resisted a chuckle at the adorable look on her face and she went back to staring at the locket. It clicked quietly in the silence between us as she gently pressed the two halves together, closing it.

"It belongs to you, doesn't it?" I asked softly, brushing her hair again. She looked at me hesitantly and chewed her lip slightly before giving me a tiny nod. I smiled at the conformation, relieved that I hadn't been wrong when I assumed that it was hers, as if her reaction hadn't been confirmation enough.

She closed her hand around the locket and shut her eyes tightly, sighing. I reached forward and brushed my hand over her hair, humming softly. I closed my eyes as well and listened to her taking a deep breath as I inhaled her scent. It was peaceful, I noted, smiling.

Our peace was interrupted, though, when my brother decided to take a visit into my room. The girl stiffened as Emmett opened the door to stick his head around it. "Shh," I murmured as I sat up to face my brother. "What do you want, Em?" I glared at him.

He held his hands up in supplication as he stepped cautiously into the room, his eyes turning curiously to the girl curled up behind me. Surprisingly, there was no sound of protest from the angel, but I could feel the tension radiating from her body as Emmett approached.

Thankfully, my brother seemed to have some sense and stopped before he was too close for her comfort. I wouldn't be happy if he upset her in any way. "I just want to see how she was doing," he explained, "Everyone else has had the opportunity to see her." He gave a slight pout, but the effect was lost as he frowned at the girl.

I saw in his mind that she was watching him with wide eyes, as if expecting him to attack her at any moment. "Can we speak outside?" I asked him, aware of the girl's anxious presence. He nodded and quietly left the room, waiting for me outside the door.

I sighed and shifted my body away from the girl. Her eyes snapped over to me as she stared in alarm. "Shh, it's okay," I soothed, stroking her hair once more, "I just need to speak to my brother, that's all."

She glanced down at her arm, or more specifically, the wire leading from it, and her look was contemplative. Gently, I touched a finger under her chin to bring her gaze back to me. "Don't even think about it," I whispered seriously, "Please, Angel, don't do it."

She eyed me carefully before she sighed and gave a small nod. I smiled slightly in relief and delicately touched her cheek. "I won't be long," I whispered to her. She didn't reply, but her eyes followed me as left the room.

Emmett was waiting for me, his fingers twitching anxiously and a frown upon his face. I looked at him expectantly. "I'm sorry," he said remorsefully, "I know I shouldn't have just come in, especially considering how she's reacted to the others doing that, but I just really wanted to know how she was doing."

I sighed and raked a hand through my hair. I could tell by his thoughts that he was honestly just worried about the girl, so I decided not to give him a hard time about it. "She's alright mostly," I told him, "As okay as to be expected, at least."

"What was that wire going into her arm for?" He wondered

I grimaced as I remembered that. "It's an IV," I replied, "Carlisle set her up on a saline drip to counteract dehydration. He's wanted to do that since we got her, but we couldn't get close to her and he didn't want to freak her out anymore."

His expression flickered and then changed as he stared at me morosely. "It's bad isn't it, her condition?" He asked warily.

My lips thinned with my own anxiety and I gave him a short nod. "She isn't healing properly," I whispered regretfully, "We don't know when she last ate, either. If she doesn't get some proper nutrition into her soon..." I didn't want to finish my sentence.

"She hasn't spoken either, has she?" He guessed sadly, "We haven't heard anything..."

"No," I confirmed, shaking my head, "But she does understand what we say to her and she can communicate certain things like if you ask yes or no questions. So at least we have something."

He nodded thoughtfully. "I still wonder what happened to her. I mean, it must have been bad for her to revert to a feral state like she did, not to mention the marks she has."

"I know," I agreed, cutting him off before he could begin speculating. I didn't think I was ready to think about what had happened to my angel and when I did finally learn the truth, I wanted it to be from her mouth.

Emmett looked at me for a minute before smiling and nodding. "Thanks for letting me know how she's doing, Edward," he said, "We've all been worried about her, even Rosalie. I hope she gets better."

"Me too," I nodded in return. I glanced back at the room and heard Emmett chuckle as he interpreted the move. _Go on. Go back to her,_ he thought, smugly. I narrowed my eyes at him, but gladly took the chance to go back to my angel. "Thanks, Em," I said gratefully.

He headed down the stairs as I turned back to my room and the girl inside. As I closed the door behind me, I chanced a look over to the bed and smiled at the sight. The girl was in her usual position on her side with her eyes closed lightly and her mouth slightly parted.

Still smiling, I moved over to the bed and sat carefully on the edge, leaning closer to the girl. Her breathing was even and nothing seemed different, but something suddenly put my nerves on edge as I looked at her more closely.

"Angel," I whispered softly. She didn't respond and I hesitantly reached my hand out to brush her hair back. When my hand made contact with her skin, though, I hissed quietly through my teeth and frowned worriedly. Her skin was burning hot against my palm as I laid my hand across her forehead. Even I knew that something wasn't right.

A flash of fear shot through me and I shouted out, "Carlisle!" My chest felt tight as I waited for my father, whispering soft comforts to my precious girl all the while. "Hold on, okay, Angel? It's going to be okay," I murmured. _How could something like this happen?_ I thought frantically, _I was only gone a few minutes!_

Carlisle flew up the stairs, alarmed by my fearful cry. He was by my side in an instant, his reassuring hand on my shoulder. "What's wrong, Edward?" He asked, his eyes already scanning her body for any signs of ailments.

"She's burning up, Carlisle," I whispered, my voice sounding choked. My hand was unconsciously stroking her hair, though this time it was more of a comfort to me than her.

He didn't reply as he placed his own hand against her forehead to gauge her temperature. I saw the way the corners of his mouth turned down and the frown that formed on his face and my heart sank.

He gently turned her over onto her back and began inspecting her. I listened closely to his thoughts and trying to fight back the rising panic. Firstly, he checked the cuts on her feet and then moved onto her wrists, lowering his nose to sniff for the distinctive odour of infection.

_There's no sign of infection,_ he thought, _though her immune system is probably really weak right now, so it is possible that she caught a virus of some sort._ That thought wasn't encouraging, but he didn't know for sure, I told myself.

Carlisle listened to her breathing and heart rate and removed his little penlight from his pocket to check her pupil reactions. Her normally bright brown eyes, stared ahead dully as he lifted her lids and my heart jerked in my chest. It was almost like the life was gone from her and I really didn't want to think of her that way.

_I can't see any other symptoms other than the fever,_ _it doesn't make sense,_ he muttered to himself. He checked her for everything he could think of, but when his eyes landed on the IV he suddenly froze and his thoughts became unfocused. I tried to concentrate on him closer but I couldn't only make out a few words.

_Reaction...IV...impossible_.

I waited nervously as he hid his thoughts from me. His hands carefully lifted the arm with the needle in it and he pressed his thumb lightly to the skin above the protrusion. With a sudden curse, he stopped the IV and removed the needle with a practised ease.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he murmured to her unconscious form. _ I should have listened to Alice,_ he thought to himself, self-disgust evident in his mind.

He sighed as he stepped back and I looked up at him anxiously. "I believe that, somehow, she's having a reaction to the IV," he said to me gently, "I've removed it for now, so we shall have to wait and see if she'll be okay. I don't want to give her any medication to bring down her temperature, though, in case she has another reaction, but I'll bring up a cool cloth for you. We need to try and lower her temperature."

He turned her onto her side again, facing me, and I placed my hand on her overheated neck and allowed my thumb to softly stroke her jaw line. "So, will she be okay?" I asked worriedly.

His hesitation caused my chest to clench as the anxiety rose. "I think so," he said, frowning. _I really hope so,_ he added silently. His thoughts didn't reassure me at all, showing me his uncertainty. He had never seen anything like this and didn't know what to expect.

I sensed Alice's presence at the door before I heard her open it and peer in. Carlisle looked up at her entrance and smiled sadly, moving over to her side. "I'm sorry, Alice. I should have listened to you," he said to her regretfully.

I moved closer to my angel's still form, my fingers threading into her hair again. I was vaguely aware of Carlisle leaving as I stared at the girl's unresponsive face, silently pleading for her expressive brown eyes to open. Desperation rose in me, followed quickly by dread. I knew that the effects of this fever might be too much for her already weak body and that there was a chance she might not last the night.

"Alice, is she going to be okay?" I begged her fearfully for an answer as I cupped my hand to the angel's face.

She didn't respond straight away and my fear kicked up another notch. "I don't know," she finally said, "I'm sorry, Edward, I can't see clearly again." She sighed despondently and I could sense her frustration.

My eyes burned as my tear ducts pricked, though no tears fell. I kept my gaze on the girl as Alice murmured another apology before quietly retreating from the room.

Carefully, I pulled her too hot body closer to my chest, resting my cheek on the top of her head as I did so. "Please be okay, Angel," I whispered in a choked breath, my lips brushing against her temple, "I need you to be okay."

Please Review!

A/N: Sorry for the cliffy…. So I know I usually only post one chapter but seeming this is my only day off this week I will be posting two chapters today. I know you are all probably super stoked and I am more than happy to keep my readers happy! I also wanted to let you know that this coming JULY will be super hectic for me. My baby bro is getting married and I have a lot of crap to get done and what not. So please bear with me until late July to early August. I will try my hardest to get chapters up as frequently as I possibly can.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24 – Revelation (EPOV)

Carlisle was waiting for me when I arrived in the main room. The rest of the family was gathered as well, obviously waiting for Carlisle to start this meeting. My father smiled at me when I entered the room and I gave him a nod in return. I got a few curious looks from the others as well and I was bombarded by questions in their minds. I didn't have a chance to answer them before Carlisle spoke up.

"How is the girl?" He asked, smiling at me again. His thoughts were fairly confident that she was fine, but he wanted my confirmation on the fact. I also sensed that he was looking for a safe place to start this discussion.

That right there should have piqued my interest on the newest subject to be brought to hand. But I couldn't help the smile that spread on my face when I thought of my girl. "She's fine," I told him, relieved, "She was awake for a little while and she was fully cognisant, but she was still tired. She's asleep again now." Everyone in my family relaxed at that and I realised that they had been worried for her as well. They could all tell that I was the most pleased about my angel's recovery, though.

Carlisle nodded. "I'm sure she'll be tired for a while, especially considering how weak she already was," he said seriously. I knew that too. It was a miracle that my little angel had survived such a fever in the state she was in. It made me glad more than anything that she was still hanging on.

"What did you want to call this meeting for, Carlisle?" Jasper asked curiously. He could feel Carlisle's apprehension and wanted to know what was going on. I turned expectantly to him as well. I knew this had something to do with my angel and whatever he had been keeping from me and I _needed_ to know what was going on now.

My father figure sighed and bowed his head. I shifted nervously in my seat. Obviously, whatever was going on was important and he must be worried about telling us for him to be like this. I was suddenly anxious, torn between needing to know to help my angel and wanting to hide from what he was afraid to tell us. Surely it must be bad, I thought, not wanting to believe it.

Finally, he sighed and lifted his head to survey all of us gathered before him wearing expressions of varying concern and worry. "I don't think that this girl is human," he announced.

I froze, my body going numb as my mind reeled in shock at his abrupt statement. Wasn't human? I thought. What did he mean? That couldn't be true. My angel was too pure, too innocent to be anything supernatural. I was aware of the buzzing thoughts of my family, echoing my own shock. They were all surprised by what Carlisle had suddenly pronounced.

"What do you mean?" I asked carefully through stiff lips. I didn't want to believe what he was telling me.

"I mean, I don't think that she's human," he repeated cautiously, eyes narrowed on me. I nearly growled at him with the frustration I was feeling. I heard what he said and now I wanted him to explain what he was talking about. Jasper shot me a quick glance, feeling my annoyance and my desperation.

"What does that mean, Carlisle?" Jasper asked him, his face severe. He was going into his soldier mode and I could sense his mind tune attentively to whatever Carlisle was going to say.

Carlisle sighed and rubbed a hand over his face in a very human gesture of tiredness or exhaustion. "I think, in order for me to explain this properly, I'm going to have to tell you a story from my past. From long before I met you, Edward, back to when I was staying with the Volturi," his voice was full of weariness. I knew he didn't really like recalling his time with our so called leaders, due to the differences in opinion he and Aro had over the value of human life.

Aro, much like most other vampire in our world, thought of humans only as a source of food. But Carlisle valued the human life highly and sought to find ways to help preserve life and help heal others. This difference in opinion, once he saw that Aro could not be persuaded, eventually led to him leaving Italy and pursuing his career as a doctor in the New World.

"It was towards the end of my stay in Italy," he began his story, "I had stayed with Aro for many years already and I was beginning to think about moving on and continuing my search for others like myself. The members of the guard scout the city, looking out for any vampires wandering into their territory. When you go to visit the Volturi, they find you, not the other way around." He chuckled humourlessly.

"It was on their regular patrol that they found something. They found a man with a strange scent in one of the few abandoned buildings within the city. He behaved like a feral vampire, they said. Not knowing what to think about him, he was taken back to their castle and presented before Aro. Aro was fascinated by this man and even more so when he touched his skin and found he could not read his thoughts...

_I stood beside Aro as the man was dragged forth and dropped unceremoniously to the floor at Aro's feet. Aro barely spared him a glance before he turned questioningly to the two members of his guard that brought him in. "We found him in one of the old buildings on the outskirts of the city, Master," Felix's deep voice explained, "He has a strange scent, not human, and he fought us like a vampire."_

_Looking at the man cowering before us, I couldn't see him being able to fight anyone off, least of all a vampire. "Hmm," Aro hummed as he surveyed the curious man with his milky, unfocused eyes. He crouched at the man's side and placed his hand on his exposed arm. After a moment had passed, he stood up and a small, delighted smile spread onto his face. I recognised that look of fascination that he held. It was the same one he had when he found out about me and the diet that I lived by._

"_Interesting," he murmured, "So very interesting."_

"Aro knew that I was training to be a doctor, so he put the man into my care," Carlisle spoke, bringing me out of the memories in his mind, "He, like the others, could tell that this man was different and wanted to know more about him and what he was." I snorted mentally. Of course I knew what Aro would have been thinking then. It would have been about how this man could serve to his purposes, what use he could be in his precious guard. Ever the collector he was.

"He was very weak, could not even stand by himself," he continued, "I carried him to one of the small storage rooms and Aro had a cot set up for him. I examined him, but I could find no injuries or symptoms to explain his weakness. He was underweight, but not nearly enough to put him in such a condition. I tried to feed him, fought with him whenever he refused, but the small amounts I managed to get into him were never there long. He could not seem to keep any form of food or fluid inside."

He looked to me and in his mind, I could see the scene of my precious girl after our first attempt at feeding her, compared with his memories of this man he met in Italy. I didn't like what he was implying, but surely if he found a way to help this man, then he would know what to do to help my angel? I truly hoped so, for I could not bear it if this story did not have a happy ending.

"He refused to eat and so I ceased my attempts at feeding him. I believed it was doing him more harm than good with the way he struggled against me time after time. I was out of ideas and I still didn't know what was wrong with him. After days of him not eating and being under my constant monitoring, I came to realise that his condition, while it did not improve, it never deteriorated either. I put this down to part of his strangeness, part of what made him different," he shook his head, "He never spoke a word except to tell me to leave him to die and that he wasn't worth saving. But it is against my nature to allow someone to die if I could help save them.

"I didn't know what to do and medicines at that time were limited. I feared that I would be forced to watch this man waste away and be unable to do anything to prevent it. Aro was sorrowful that there seemed to be nothing I could do for the man, but I knew the only thing that interested him was the secrets the man held. We were waiting for the inevitable when something unexpected happened."

Carlisle paused in his story again. I sensed that this next part was the most relevant. This was what he had been hiding from me that pertained to the girl. I needed to know what he was going to say. The others were listening intently, their minds silent for once as they absorbed the story Carlisle was relaying to us.

"A young woman visited me in the room while I was examining the man again. Aro wanted a message brought to me and thought nothing of having one of the human servants, deliver it to me. I didn't realise in time what was happening and it happened so fast that I had no chance to stop it. The man, who had previously lain unmoving on the bed, suddenly sprung to life. He was on the woman before I could stop him and within seconds she was drained of her blood."

I felt the intense regret that he felt at not being able to save the helpless, young woman, but I couldn't concentrate on that. The man wasn't human at all, I gathered that. But he drank blood? He wasn't a vampire, surely, or else they would have known. Unless it was an ability he had that was unique to him, but how would that pertain to my angel? What was he saying? I thought furiously.

"Carlisle, what are you saying?" Esme voiced in confusion, as if she had been privy to my thoughts.

"It is my belief that the girl is half human _and_ half vampire," Carlisle sighed externally and internally, grateful to have this weight lifted from his shoulders. He glanced at me nervously in hopes of assessing my reaction to this shocking and what seemed like near impossible news to us all.

Could it be that my angel was exactly what my father thought her to be? A half breed of human and vampire, what did that mean? Part of me wished it to be so. My feelings towards the girl could be more justified. But the other half of me was reeling with shock and horror and anger that quickly turned to rage.

"How long have you suspected?" I growled at him fiercely, taking myself and my family by surprise, I had never spoken to my father in such a way before, especially not in front of my mother or any other female presence. I was nearly taken aback when I hadn't realized I had pushed myself to my feet and currently towered over my father's now tense sitting form. "You let her suffer for days on end! I had to watch _my angel_ suffer for days. How could you?" I demanded in a half growl, half sob. My heart ached with immeasurable sadness and pain for the girl that I so desperately cared for. "How could you do this to her Carlisle? Has she not suffered enough?" I demanded hotly, willing the urge to physically hurt my own father, to dissipate and never resurface.

"Edward," Carlisle tried pleading with me, urging me with his thoughts to calm down before I did something or said something that I could never take back. "I was not one hundred percent certain—and I am still not—but with this new possibility brought to light, we may very well have a way to give her sustenance."

"You mean take her hunting?" Emmett grinned, pleased with the idea of watching my tiny delicate angel taking down a full sized grizzly bear. I hissed at the picture he had brought forth in my head and I had to use every fibre of control I had to not yell at him and his preposterous idea.

"No," Carlisle said quickly, trying to diffuse the rather tense situation. "What I was meaning was that I have human blood stored away in the fridge in my medical lab. If I am wrong—which I do not think I am—it would only frighten her more, and break what trust she does have in Edward, to just take her out into the woods and tell her to hunt. The girl can't sit up on her own, let-alone hunt." Carlisle was choosing his words rather carefully. He knew if one wrong word was said that I would break my carefully composed anger and all hell would break loose.

I would not dare to let any one come near her. I would take down anyone who dared try to take her from me, or the safety of her room. That room had become my angel's safe haven. And I would fight to keep it that way. Every angel needs a little piece of heaven, and her room was her little piece. A piece she allowed me to share with her and for now only me. There was _no way_ that I would jeopardise the level of trust my angel had in me and I certainly would not let anyone destroy my, her, our little piece of heaven.

"For now, I think that we should let the girl fully recover from her time of being ill, and then Edward will handle this situation as he sees fit. It would do none of us good to thrust a blood bag in her face. It may only frighten her more." I was a little more than mollified that my father figure was willing to put aside his inner doctor and let me decided on what steps needed to be taken regarding my angel. "Of course, I am more than willing to help in any way that I can," He spoke only looking at me now.

Part of me wanted to rage at his sudden, yet plausible conclusion. The other part of me wanted to deny every scrap of evidence and just go back to the way things were now. And the rational side of my brain knew that the girl had to eat, and soon. It made sense that she had not starved to death in the hand full of weeks we had come across her.

But she is just so perfect and beautiful, so delicate and fragile. But I also know that she was terribly frightened—frightened of her surroundings, frightened of me and my family, frightened of what ever monstrous animal had inflicted. The abuse, torture and starvation, for what ever length of time, she was held captive. The girl didn't trust easily and I was terrified that if I took one wrong move, if I said one wrong word…I could loose her—all of her.

Pulled from my internal thoughts, Alice was talking out loud, but to whom I was not sure. "I can only see fuzzy little bits and pieces of my visions. I see this as a good thing and a bad thing…" Alice hissed trailing off, trying very hard to nail down a solid vision of the girls future. "It's so dammed frustrating!" She hissed frustrated. Jasper wrapped a comforting arm around her, and Alice relaxed into his embrace, the frustration and edgy tension in the room slowly washed away, replacing it with a gentle calm.

I narrowed my eyes at him, and Jasper just shrugged, not bothering to at least look guilty at his mood manipulation.

"When can we try," Rosalie spoke softly, knowing that this subject was a dodgy subject with me thus far. I was still on the very thin line of flat out denial and full out acceptance. "I mean, if she really _is_ half vampire, don't you think she is practically starving? If so, why has she not said anything when we tried to feed her human food?"

"I don't know," Carlisle replied thoughtfully. "We don't know if she can actually speak or if she simple does not want to speak to us…"

"Or more horrifically," Jasper cut in. "Was _ordered_ not to speak."

A/N: So OMG I am all about evil cliffy's this time around! I know I totally suck hard when it comes to giving you guy's something to go off of. But this story is totally about 'What's Next' and 'OMG…What Just Happened?' or "Did Edward totally Just kiss Angel?' or 'Emmett Did What!'

Anyways inspiration totally hit me and you guys totally lucked out with another chapter this week!

THATA…my newest Brazilian Bestie, I do hope that you are able to read this chapter before you go on holiday's. If you are already gone…then as promised, I have the new chapter ready and waiting for you. Have a great holiday, where ever you are!

And for all my Canadian readers…Happy May Long Weekend!


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25 Mixed Emotions

Jasper's spoken thoughts on my angel being ordered not to speak, has me battling a vicious war inside my mind and body. Part of me wants to hunt down this unknown monster and rip him from limb from limb—slowly, painfully—I want so desperately to hear him beg me to stop and plead for his life. Knowing fully well that I would never stop or ease his horrific pain, I want to torture him to death, in the all the ways that he had tortured my angel.

Thankfully the seething rage growing inside me, matches the very inhuman, disturbing and very real possibilities in my mind, my imagination running amuck with so many painfully potential ideas.

The other parts of me want to run to her room and hold her close, trying to love...wait_...what? Did I just seriously think about loving this girl? Back to health? Back to normal? Or as normal as she could, may become in the maybe not so distant future?_

This new and shocking revaluation suddenly had me reeling and feeling very off kilter. It was not possible for this girl to _love_ me back. It was even more impossible for _me _to love _her. _She had a family some place out in the world searching for her, grieving her absence, praying for her safe arrival, praying that she may still live. I had no right to love her. I had no right to keep her.

Suddenly I was no longer seething with rage, but filled with confusion, helplessness, self doubt and anger—anger directed at myself. I caught Jasper's questioning look at my new change in emotions, his thoughts trying to assess my sudden mood change. I couldn't be here right now. I couldn't face this girl again and fall even more in love with her than I already was...again with the _'L' word_! I was starting to see it as a curse word, for crying out loud.

"Maybe, Edward can get the girl to talk?" Esme said suddenly, her thoughts filled with potential hope and joy that I would be the one to heal this poor creature. "She trusts Edward the most."

_No! _My mind screamed. I wanted to shout at the top of my lungs to never be near my angel again, to fall more in love—_bloody hell! There I go again with the damn 'L' word_—with her and endanger her even more than she was or could be or would even want to be in.

"Something tells me that Edward has rather suddenly, changed his mind about the girl," Jasper announces, ratting me out to everyone.

I want to deck him out, as all eyes turn to look at me, and I abruptly feel as though I have been put on display. If it were physically possible, I may very well be blushing with embarrassment. I glare at Jasper, sending a wave of disapproval and annoyance towards him. Of course he shrugs it off and grins at me.

"Edward?" Carlisle questions me, looking confused, and his thoughts in a jumble of a mess. "Is it true? Do you wish to no longer care for the girl?"

"I...am not one hundred percent certain that this course of action is the best way to proceed." I sound too formal and I know it. Rosalie snorts, shaking her head at me. "Esme and Alice can try and get the girl to speak and eat." With every word I say my mind is screaming at me to shut the hell up. Why was I doing this? I knew without a shadow of a doubt that this wasn't right.

I needed her and she in turn needed me. But falling in love with her...it wasn't acceptable by any means.

"Edward's afraid of falling _more_ in love with the girl than he already_ is_!" Alice piped up and all eyes whipped to her. "I have had visions of Edward and the girl happy together, getting married, living out eternity together..."

"Enough!" I roar at my sister, who doesn't seem to have a shred of decency to look remotely remorseful of her actions. "It _cannot_ be! She has a family and friends who are looking for her, hoping to bring her home!" I hiss furious with this sudden betrayal by my closest sister. "I will not be the one to take her away from that!"

A small rustling above our heads snaps me from my tyrant, and I am off and running toward the girls room before I can even ask myself, why I cared, when I had just snapped at Alice that I did not care...or at least tried not to care. Self-denial was a fickle emotion. That I soon grew to hate.

Not pausing to knock, I rush into the room to find my angel's face twisted in what looks like pain or sadness. A small whimper rises from her throat, and before I could even give myself permission to do so, I was laying by her side, on my side of the bed. Unthinkingly my fingers moved to her hair, softly brushing away the strands that had dared hide her face from me.

I sighed internally. It was a battle I knew I would never win. This tiny broken fragile girl owned my heart the minute I had looked into her eyes.

"Shh...Shh" I shushed her gently, my fingers running through her long silky locks. "It's alright angel, I'm here." I whisper softly enough to hopefully not wake her. A few seconds later my angle calms under my methodical soothing actions. I decided that instead of leaving her to her nightmares, I would stay lying next to her, and would fully explain myself when she awoke, if she turned out to be frightened or angry with my sudden presence.

I knew I was lost to this girl. Guilt and shame coursed through me, like a slow tortuous acid lingering in my dead and dried up veins, I could never leave my innocent angel to fend off the world without me. I made a solid promise you myself, never to doubt my feelings for my beautiful, fragile angel. Feeling cemented about all of my positive revelations, I began to plan on speaking with my father about getting the girl to try and feed with blood rather than human food. My plan was all for not, when I heard Alice squealing downstairs filling everyone in on my sudden but confident plans on feeding the girl.

Lost in my own musings, I hadn't realized the girl had woken and was now watching me with curious eyes. Her warm chocolate eyes boring into my fading gold eyes, I needed to hunt soon. "How are you feeling angel?" I ask her quietly, slipping my hand into her much smaller warm one. "I was so worried about you," I tell her again, letting her know my feelings are true and genuine.

The angel's cheeks tinge with pink and a small smile forms on her lips. I can't help but feel the small thrill I feel every time I get her to blush or smile at me. She blinks at me once and I know that she is letting me know that she is feeling better. My dead black heart strings give a gentle tug, knowing that it is me and only me that makes her smile so beautiful and innocently.

_I think we should get her to feed sooner than later, Edward,_ My father's thoughts are gentle and cautious. I know he is afraid I might recoil altogether.

"Not tonight," I whisper to low for the girl to hear. "Tomorrow, after she has rested throughout the night and after I have hunted."

"Tomorrow it is," My father agrees, out loud for everyone to hear, and then adds silently, _Will you hunt tonight then? Or early in the morning?_

"Tonight. I will go, tonight."

Please Review!

_A/N:_ So who is so _super_ stoked about the next chapter coming up? And how many of you wanted to slap Edward up the head for his lack of confidence issues?


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